First the US Justice Department raided Kim Dotcom's sprawling New Zealand estate and seized random items from cars to Predator statues. Then they shut down the massive website, froze their assets and threw seven men into a New Zealand jail pending an extradition trial. Dotcom and his cronies weren't the only ones felling the pinch, though. Megaupload's 180 million reported users were left locked out, unable to access their files. Now those files might be deleted forever as soon as Thursday.
Scientists have determined that Earth's "missing energy" isn't missing after all.
Earth's primary energy source is the sun, which bombards the planet with solar rays every day. This energy helps drive our weather system, makes the planet warm enough for life and drives photosynthesis in plants, among other things. But not all of this energy is retained by the Earth ? some of it is reflected or radiated back into space.
By studying the amount of solar energy absorbed by the atmosphere, and comparing it to the energy released back into space by the planet, a team of researchers has calculated how much energy is retained by the planet. Most of the energy is held within the oceans as heat; the influx causes a slow rise in temperature.
Missing or not?
A previous study, released by a different group in 2010, noted that the ocean heating from 2004 to 2008 seemed to slow. This led them to suggest that some of the planet's energy was missing.
But the new team, led by Norman Leob of NASA's Langley Research Center, re-examined the numbers measured over the course of the last decade and found them to be relatively stable.
Loeb's team maintained that the margin of error was larger than the original study took into account.
"One of the things we wanted to do was a more rigorous analysis of the uncertainties," Loeb said in a statement. "When we did that, we found the conclusion of missing energy in the system isn't really supported by the data."
Looking for what was lost
Using a decade's worth of data collected by the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE), the team determined the amount of energy absorbed from the sun. They then subtracted the energy reflected back into space, as well as the energy emitted by the Earth, using the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES).
The energy left over is trapped somewhere on Earth. Less than 10 percent of it heats the land and atmosphere, and melts snow and ice, while the rest heats the ocean.
The original study found that the Earth's temperature, which had been steadily rising, slowed its pace. But the new study notes that the methods for measuring characteristics of the ocean shifted in 2003.
More science news from msnbc.com
Library?putting the 3-D back into century-old photos
In a cool new undertaking, the ever-forward-thinking New York Public Library has pulled together a vast collection of roughly 100-year-old archival images for a very clever proto-3-D project.
Deep-sea fish recordings reveal grunts and quacks
Mesopotamian riddles of sex, beer and politics
Camera-nabbing leopards caught on video
When accounting for the margin of error of both methods employed, the new study states that the apparent decline is "not statistically significant, nor is it observed by CERES."
Currently, data on the ocean is collected via the Argo program, which has dropped more than 3,000 floats in saltwater around the world. As the floats sink and rise, they measure the temperature and salt content of the water up to a depth of 1.25 miles (2,000 meters).
"Our data show that Earth has been accumulating heat in the ocean at a rate of half a watt per square meter (10.8 square feet), with no sign of a decline," Loeb said.
? 2012 OurAmazingPlanet. All rights reserved. More from OurAmazingPlanet.
At the 2012 SAG Awards in Los Angeles Sunday, Emily Blunt stood out in a sea of dramatic black gowns -- not for showing a lot of leg a la Lea Michele, but for the bold, eye-popping color of her dress.
PHOTOS: 2012 SAG Awards - what the stars wore!
The Adjustment Bureau actress, 28, who stepped out at The Shrine Auditorium with her hubby John Krasinski from The Office, rocked a jade chiffon, one-shoulder Oscar de la Renta gown from the designer's Resort 2012 collection that features a high slit up the left side.
PHOTOS: Get your fave looks from awards season for less
While bright green hasn't been a go-to dress color for awards season thus far, it has been the choice shade for dazzling statement jewelry.
PHOTOS: What all the stars wore at the 2012 Golden Globes
At the 2012 Golden Globes in Beverly Hills January 15, stars like Julianne Moore, Debra Messing and Julianna Marguiles stunned in eye-catching emerald earrings.
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Earlier this month we were able to get a first hand look at an impressive technology from Qualcomm called AllJoyn. What is AllJoyn you ask? A peer-to-peer proximity based gaming, streaming, and sharing technology between devices such as Android phones and tablets. This makes device-to-device communication easy and simple for games, music, and anything else you can think of. Check out all our hands-on videos from CES 2012 below.
What makes AllJoyn special for both users and developers alike is all the work is already done before we even get these games or apps on our devices. The AllJoyn platform makes it dead simple for developers to integrate this service into their apps while developing ? and even slotting them into already widely available games or applications.
Then from there all the work is already done and we can enjoy peer-to-peer live action gaming, music sharing/streaming, and more all without any connecting or pairing by the end user ? AllJoyn does it all for you over WiFi or Bluetooth. The video below will explain more, not to mention detail how.
AllJoyn on Namco?s Pacman Kart
Next up is a custom app designed specifically for AllJoyn called JamJoyn. This allows multiple devices the option to completely control and change music. One device is connected to the stereo but using AllJoyn multiple devices can access and control the music. Changing tracks, turning up the volume and more all with the peer-to-peer technology. I can see this causing problems with backseat DJ?s always switching the song on me, but could really be useful in my house.
The video demonstration below shows the HTC Thunderbolt (powered by Qualcomm of course) connected to a Jawbone Jambox playing music via JamJoyn. Then both the Thunderbolt, and the Nexus One beside it can both control the music. Pretty neat huh?
JamJoyn Music
That isn?t all either. This same technology can be used for simple things such as drawing or Whiteboards. This could be particularly useful for educational settings both at home ? or in the classroom. Being able to access and edit the same drawing board or whiteboard via AllJoyn. If I could add to the whiteboard in class without leaving my desk ? that would be awesome. Take note of how this demonstration shows off how dead simple this really is, with no pairing or connecting needed by the end user. It?s seamless and all done inside the app.
WhiteBoard
Last but certainly not least we have one more demonstration (my personal favorite) called Fight Game: Heroes. This is another AllJoyn powered game that is actually running on two Qualcomm S4 developer tablets being played peer-to-peer over 4G LTE. We do have this streaming via HDMI to a larger TV for the demonstration for a better view.
Your humble narrator (me) on the right vs our good friend Chris Burns on the left battling it out boxing style. showing off peer-to-peer gaming on a few developer tablets I quickly get the jabs and kicks down and knock out my opponent in the first round. Winnah!
Fight Game: Heroes
We?ve seen this awesome technology from Qualcomm in the past but things are starting to finally take shape and show us just how impressive and useful this all can be for the world of mobile ? especially for Android and the wide array of devices running on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Developers you can start thinking about what or how you want to use this technology now, and we?ll be sure to follow and update as we hear more from AllJoyn and Qualcomm.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. ? The Hall of Fame Classic is moving to a new date ? the Saturday before Father's Day.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum says the timing is a better fit for families. The first three Classics were held on Father's Day, and crowds at Doubleday Field have decreased somewhat since the first drew a near sellout.
So far, six Hall of Famers are slated to take part in the seven-inning legends game on June 16, which will also feature 20 other retired major league stars. Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Ozzie Smith will return as team captains.
Other activities planned for Classic weekend include a Hall of Fame golf tournament fundraiser for the museum, a youth skills clinic, and a special "Voices of the Game" program.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.?? A homeless man who was stuck in thick mud near the Rio Grande river in Albuquerque for three days was rescued Saturday after some high school students on a field trip heard him yelling for help, authorities said.
C'mon ? what's not to like?
Hoof it over to Facebook to join the weird news herd.
However, the man's newfound freedom wasn't going to last. Police said he was wanted on a felony warrant, and they planned to arrest him after he was treated at a local hospital.
A group of La Cueva High School students and their biology teacher heard the man yelling Saturday morning from a marshy wetlands area in the Oxbow Open Space Preserve, the Albuquerque Fire Department and police officials said.
The students were in the area ? about two miles north of Interstate 40 in Albuquerque ? doing a school project. They called authorities and told them that the man said he'd been stuck in the river for three days and could not move, according to a police report.
Fire crews and preserve officers responded and found a "male subject stuck on a reed island about a hundred yards from the west bank of the river," the report said.
Crews deployed an air boat and used a pulley system to lift the man from the mud and water, and up a hill.
Police later identified the man as Clayton Senn, a transient who'd been living near the river.
Authorities said they discovered a warrant for Senn's arrest on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Senn was taken to an Albuquerque hospital for treatment and was to be booked on the warrant upon his release, police said.
Details on Senn's condition were not immediately available.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Huawei Ascend II is a dual-band EVDO Rev A (850/1900 MHz) device with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. In New York where we test, U.S. Cellular phones use Sprint's network. Signal reception was fine, and it connected to my WPA2-encrypted Wi-Fi network without a problem. It can also function as a mobile hotspot with the appropriate data plan.
Call quality was decent on the Ascend. Voices sound clear, but thin and a touch robotic. Calls made with the phone are easy to understand and feature good noise cancellation, but can sound a bit muffled. The speakerphone sounds fine and is loud enough to use outdoors. Calls sounded clear through a?Jawbone Era?Bluetooth headset ($129, 4.5 stars) and voice dialing worked fine. Battery life was on the shorter side of average at 5 hours, 8 minutes of talk time.
Android and Apps The Ascend II runs Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread). There's no word on whether it will receive an update to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), but we wouldn't hold out hope. Huawei has added some very limited customizations to the UI. Unfortunately, they give off a bargain bin vibe; Huawei would've fared better leaving well enough alone in this case.
There are five customizable home screens you can swipe between, which come preloaded with a number of useful apps and widgets, along with a bunch of nonremovable bloatware.
Everything is powered by a 600MHz Qualcomm S1 MSM7627 processor. This was standard for lower-end smartphones a year ago, but it's really starting to show its age. The Ascend II turned in some of the worst benchmarks we've seen for a device sporting these specs, and you can really feel that while using the phone. Most tasks felt sluggish, and it took longer to open and close apps than usual.
App-wise, you get Google Maps Navigation for free voice-enabled, turn-by-turn GPS directions, along with all that bloatware from U.S. Cellular. You should also be able to run most of the 300,000+ third-party apps in the Android Market, but again, be prepared to encounter stalls and crashes.
Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions The Ascend II has 146MB of internal memory, along with a 2GB microSD card; my 32GB and 64GB SanDisk cards worked fine as well. Thankfully, the phone has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack this time around, which makes it easy to find a pair of earbuds. Music tracks sounded fine over both wired earbuds and Altec Lansing BackBeat?Bluetooth headphones ($99.99, 3.5 stars). I was able to play AAC, MP3, OGG, and WAV files, but not FLAC or WMA.
Video playback is lackluster. I was able to watch movies at resolutions up to 800-by-480, but anything above 640-by-480 looked choppy. I could play H.264 and MP4 files, but not AVI, DivX, or Xvid.
The Ascend II's 5-megapixel camera lacks auto-focus and an LED flash. Test photos looked soft and dark, with muted color detail. The camera also records 640-by-480 video at 16 frames per second indoors and 19 outside.
The Huawei Ascend II isn't a terrible phone, it's just not a very good one. It's sluggish today; a year from now, it will probably feel glacial. If you're looking to score a smartphone on the cheap, you'll get a faster processor but slower Internet with the Samsung Repp?(Free, 3 stars). For $49.99 there's the LG Genesis?(3 stars), which gets you two higher-res displays, along with a physical QWERTY keyboard. But you'd do best to spend $100 and pick up the HTC Hero S?(3.5 stars), or $149.99 for the Motorola Electrify?(4.5 stars). Both phones feature faster processors, sharper displays, and better cameras than the Ascend II. The Electrify can even convert into a laptop PC with the proper accessories. And even better, in both cases you won't be itching to upgrade your phone in just a few months.?
On Wednesday, Heidi Klum was photographed for the first time since she and Seal shocked the world Monday with news of their separation after 7 years of marriage.
PHOTOS: Heidi's incredible body evolution
Out and about in Los Angeles, the supermodel and Project Runway hostess, 38, looked somber and kept her head down. Clad in black, Klum wore her gold wedding band. Her estranged husband Seal, 48, has similarly kept on his wedding ring as well.
PHOTOS: Heidi and Seal's sweet romance
For his part, the "Kiss from a Rose" crooner explained to Ellen DeGeneres why the ring will remain on his finger. "I think it's just pretty much a token of how I feel about this woman. We have eight years. Eight wonderful years together," Seal told DeGeneres, 53. "Just because we have decided to separate doesn't necessarily mean you take off your ring and you're no longer connected to that person."
The couple, who wed in 2005, have three biological children: Henry, 6, Johan, 5, and Lou, 2. In 2009, Seal adopted Klum's 7-year-old daughter, Leni, from her previous relationship with Flavio Briatore.
Emily chatters about the term ?a crush of shrimp.?
David has three chatters. He wonders why Mormons are so good-looking, recommends Robert Kagan?s article in The New Republic on the ?myth of American decline,? and chatters about a Kottke blog post saying that some of 10th President John Tyler?s grandchildren are still alive.
The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Podcast production by Andrew Bouv? and Dale Willman. Links compiled by Aviva Shen.
Sure, it might not have the marketing flair, nor mindshare of another Linux-based project we know, but that doesn't mean the folks behind KDE haven't been feverishly polishing their take on the perfect desktop environment. That dedication has resulted in version 4.8, which brings forth a bevy of tweaks big and small. Those upgrading will be treated to more layouts in Plasma Workspaces, a new display engine and file-manager, as well as redesigned power management settings. Also on the docket are refinements that improve stability and performance, including groundwork to enable more touch-friendly UIs in the future. Sounds like a win-win to us, so why are you still reading? More info awaits at the source.
FILE - In this Jan. 1,2012, file photo Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., speaks at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Bachmann told The Associated Press Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, that she'll seek a 4th term in Congress following her failed presidential bid. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 1,2012, file photo Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., speaks at Jubilee Family Church in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Bachmann told The Associated Press Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, that she'll seek a 4th term in Congress following her failed presidential bid. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ? Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann announced Wednesday she will seek a fourth term in the U.S. House following her failed presidential bid.
Bachmann declared her plans in an interview with The Associated Press. The Republican congresswoman had been mum on her plans since folding her presidential campaign after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses earlier this month.
"I'm looking forward to coming back and bringing a strong, powerful voice to Washington, D.C.," Bachmann said.
Bachmann will be a formidable candidate in Minnesota's 6th District, where other Republican hopefuls had stood aside until she made a decision on running for re-election. Some experts had speculated that Bachmann might instead turn to a career in talk media.
Bachmann is a potent fundraiser who raised $13.5 million in her last House race, but would likely start from scratch after the presidential campaign. A campaign finance report that would show how much money she can bring to the race isn't due until the end of the month.
Bachmann also faces uncertainty over how her district will be reshaped. One redistricting plan put forth by Democrats would throw her into a race with Rep. Betty McCollum, a six-term Democrat who represents the St. Paul area. A special redistricting panel is due to issue maps late next month.
Ken Martin, chairman of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer Labor Party, said the announcement wasn't a surprise. No Democrats have announced plans to run yet because they're waiting on redistricting, but Martin said they would attack Bachmann for being absent from the district and for missing votes in Washington while running for president.
"She's really opened the door for us this year to make a good run at her," Martin said.
Bachmann was an early media favorite in the chase for the GOP presidential nomination after winning the Iowa straw poll in midsummer, but she eventually faded.
Her announcement came in an interview to react to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech. Just as she did on the campaign trail, Bachmann criticized Obama for "doubling down on failures that didn't work."
"We have to radically scale back on government spending, we have to radically cut back on debt accumulation," Bachmann said.
President Barack Obama exits Air Force One after arriving in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)
President Barack Obama exits Air Force One after arriving in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/John Gurzinski)
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Riding a positive but unpredictable wave, President Barack Obama is returning to two states that are important to his re-election, Nevada and Colorado, to promote his energy agenda and grab some of the political spotlight ahead of his Republican adversaries.
Obama will speak at a UPS center in Las Vegas and at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Col., Thursday, drawing attention to proposals for clean energy use and greater production of domestic oil and gas. The pitch comes just days after he drew Republican criticism for blocking a cross-country pipeline that would carry tar sands oil from Canada to refineries in Texas.
Obama last visited Nevada and Colorado in late October, using that trip to launch a phase of his campaign to jump-start the economy. With economic indicators improving, Obama this time visits on a higher note.
Both states hold their presidential caucuses within the next two weeks ? events that have grown in importance since the Republican contest for the White House continues to shift and narrow to a choice between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
On Wednesday, Obama traveled to Iowa and Arizona to push for tax incentives for manufacturers. His three-day, post-State of the Union trip concludes Friday in Michigan.
Offering a preview of his energy agenda, Obama said Wednesday he was pushing for a renewed economy. "It's an economy built on American energy, fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources that make us more secure and less dependent on foreign oil," he told workers at a Cedar Rapids manufacturing plant that specializes in conveyor screws.
Obama won both Nevada and Colorado in 2008. Nevada has had the nation's highest unemployment. But a poll in December by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Obama with a 6-percentage-point lead over Romney and a 12-point lead over Gingrich.
Colorado offers an example of a state with a mix of energy programs, from a booming solar-energy industry to natural gas extraction that is a result of a compromise between energy companies and environmentalists.
You don't always want to have to choose between an easy snap-on cover and all-over protection for your phone. Sometimes it's more convenient to have the option to switch things up as and when you need, and that's one of the main strengths of Qmadix's snap-on cover with holster for the Galaxy Nexus.
Firstly, you've got a basic snap-on cover that's finished in soft-touch plastic, with a grooved pattern on the back for easy gripping. This can then slide into the holster component, which is equipped with a rotatable clip for attaching the entire package to clothes, pockets or bags. The inside of the holster faces the screen, and is so it's lined with a soft material to avoid scratches. And the cover, holster and phone all lock together securely, meaning you shouldn't need to worry about working its way free or falling out of the case while you're out and about.
The case's best feature by far is its ability to clip onto clothing, and offer multiple levels of protection based on what you're doing. If your phone is in your pocket, simply use the snap-on cover alone. If you need to clip it onto a belt or throw it in a bag without risking screen damage, just attach the holster and you're good to go.
The Qmadix Snap-on Cover with Holster is designed for both the international GSM Galaxy Nexus, as well as the Verizon LTE version, so whichever model you have, the case will fit snugly.
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? President Barack Obama has adopted a new strategy declaring for the first time that the United States has a national security interest to protect the nation's economic goods against terrorists, criminals and natural disasters in all corners of the globe.
The new U.S. policy, to be unveiled Wednesday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Switzerland, is called the "National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security," according to a White House document obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
It says potential economic threats to goods dependent on supplies from beyond U.S. borders are now a matter of national security and that the government must "resolve threats early."
And that's not just cargo shipments ? all "cyber and energy networks" also are affected.
Businesses have often sought to cut costs by farming out many parts of their operations, leaving them potentially more at risk to disruptions outside the confines of their traditional areas of management. But with the economy increasingly globalized, businesses are becoming more dependent on each other ? and more exposed to these risks.
"The global supply chain provides the food, medicine, energy and products that support our way of life," the document says.
"Many different entities are responsible for or reliant upon the functioning of the global supply chain, including regulators, law enforcement, public-sector buyers, private-sector business, and other foreign and domestic partners," it says. "The system relies upon an interconnected web of transportation infrastructure and pathways, information technology, and cyber and energy networks."
Obama in a preface to the new policy, which is effective immediately, that "the global supply chain system that supports this trade is essential to the United States' economy and security and is a critical global asset."
The policy follows in the wake of a series of major natural disasters whose effects spill beyond one nation's borders.
"We have seen that disruptions to supply chains caused by natural disasters ? earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions ? and from criminal and terrorist networks seeking to exploit the system or use it as a means of attack can adversely impact global economic growth and productivity," the president wrote.
"As a nation," he added, "we must address the challenges posed by these threats and strengthen our national and international policies accordingly."
The March tsunami in Japan, for example, was devastating for that nation's economy and temporarily disrupted the production of automobile makers and other manufacturers.
Car exports, too, declined after the recent flooding in Thailand, where many Japanese automakers have assembly lines. Iceland's volcanic eruption in 2010 paralyzed air traffic, affecting passengers and cargo around the world.
The White House "strategy" is not an executive order. But it instructs federal agencies to immediately focus on "those components of the worldwide network of transportation, postal and shipping pathways, assets, and infrastructures by which goods are moved until they reach an end consumer."
It also suggests that all U.S. trade partners should be pressed to agree to what Obama calls "information-sharing arrangements, streamlining government processes, and synchronizing standards and procedures."
The strategy has far-reaching implications. It not only would apply to all cargo goods entering the country by ship, airplane or truck ? the U.S. already inspects all of what it considers to be the highest-risk cargo ? but also could set the stage for U.S. action to strengthen the security provided in other countries.
Obama is requiring all federal agencies and departments to report back to him within a year on how their efforts are going and make "recommendations for future action developed during the outreach process" of talking with other countries.
New study sheds light on evolutionary origin of oxygen-based cellular respirationPublic release date: 22-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: RIKEN Global Relations Office gro-pr@riken.jp RIKEN
Researchers at the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Harima, Japan have clarified the crystal structure of quinol dependent nitric oxide reductase (qNOR), a bacterial enzyme that offers clues on the origins of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors. In addition to their importance to fundamental science, the findings provide key insights into the production of nitrogen oxide, an ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas hundreds of times more potent than carbon dioxide.
As the central process by which cells capture and store the chemical energy they need to survive, cellular respiration is essential to all life on this planet. While most of us are familiar with one form of respiration, whereby oxygen is used to transform nutrients into molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for use as energy ("aerobic respiration"), many of the world's organisms breathe in a different way. At the bottom of the ocean and in other places with no oxygen, organisms get their energy instead using substances such as nitrate or sulfur to synthesize ATP, much the way organisms did many billions of years ago ("anaerobic respiration").
While less well-known, this latter type of cellular respiration is no less important, fuelling the production of most of the world's nitrous oxide (N2O), an ozone depleting and greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide. As the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the reactions underlying anaerobic respiration, nitric oxide reductase (NOR) has attracted increasing attention in environmental circles. The mystery of NOR's catalyzing mechanism, however which accounts for a staggering 70% of the planet's N2O production remains largely unsolved.
With their latest research, the team sought an answer to this mystery in the origin of an evolutionary innovation known as the "proton pump". To accelerate ATP-synthesis, aerobic organisms harness the potential of an electrochemical concentration gradient across the cell, created by "pumping" protons out using energy from an oxygen reduction reaction. The enzyme powering this mechanism, cytochrome oxidase (COX), is genetically and structurally similar to NOR, suggesting a common ancestor. No evidence of any "pump", however, has been detected in anaerobic organisms.
That is, until now. Using radiation from the RIKEN SPring-8 facility in Harima, Japan, the world's largest synchrotron radiation facility, the researchers probed the 3D structure of qNOR and discovered a channel acting as a proton transfer pathway for a key catalytic reaction. While not itself a proton pump, the position and function of this pathway suggest it is an ancestor of the proton pump found in COX. The finding thus establishes first-ever evidence for a proton pump in anaerobic organisms, shedding light onto the mysterious mechanisms governing the production of nitrogen oxide and the evolutionary path that led to their emergence.
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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.
New study sheds light on evolutionary origin of oxygen-based cellular respirationPublic release date: 22-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: RIKEN Global Relations Office gro-pr@riken.jp RIKEN
Researchers at the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Harima, Japan have clarified the crystal structure of quinol dependent nitric oxide reductase (qNOR), a bacterial enzyme that offers clues on the origins of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors. In addition to their importance to fundamental science, the findings provide key insights into the production of nitrogen oxide, an ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas hundreds of times more potent than carbon dioxide.
As the central process by which cells capture and store the chemical energy they need to survive, cellular respiration is essential to all life on this planet. While most of us are familiar with one form of respiration, whereby oxygen is used to transform nutrients into molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for use as energy ("aerobic respiration"), many of the world's organisms breathe in a different way. At the bottom of the ocean and in other places with no oxygen, organisms get their energy instead using substances such as nitrate or sulfur to synthesize ATP, much the way organisms did many billions of years ago ("anaerobic respiration").
While less well-known, this latter type of cellular respiration is no less important, fuelling the production of most of the world's nitrous oxide (N2O), an ozone depleting and greenhouse gas 310 times more potent than carbon dioxide. As the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the reactions underlying anaerobic respiration, nitric oxide reductase (NOR) has attracted increasing attention in environmental circles. The mystery of NOR's catalyzing mechanism, however which accounts for a staggering 70% of the planet's N2O production remains largely unsolved.
With their latest research, the team sought an answer to this mystery in the origin of an evolutionary innovation known as the "proton pump". To accelerate ATP-synthesis, aerobic organisms harness the potential of an electrochemical concentration gradient across the cell, created by "pumping" protons out using energy from an oxygen reduction reaction. The enzyme powering this mechanism, cytochrome oxidase (COX), is genetically and structurally similar to NOR, suggesting a common ancestor. No evidence of any "pump", however, has been detected in anaerobic organisms.
That is, until now. Using radiation from the RIKEN SPring-8 facility in Harima, Japan, the world's largest synchrotron radiation facility, the researchers probed the 3D structure of qNOR and discovered a channel acting as a proton transfer pathway for a key catalytic reaction. While not itself a proton pump, the position and function of this pathway suggest it is an ancestor of the proton pump found in COX. The finding thus establishes first-ever evidence for a proton pump in anaerobic organisms, shedding light onto the mysterious mechanisms governing the production of nitrogen oxide and the evolutionary path that led to their emergence.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) ? After a bruising clash in South Carolina, Republican presidential frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich will take their battle to a bigger stage when the campaign moves to Florida on Sunday.
Gingrich, a former U.S. House of Representatives speaker, thrashed Romney in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, suggesting the race for their party's nomination and the right to face President Barack Obama in November may last months more.
The largest of the early voting states by far, Florida presents logistical and financial challenges that appear to give an advantage to Romney's well funded campaign machine.
But Gingrich has momentum after coming from behind in South Carolina to win around 40 percent of the vote, followed by Romney with 28 percent. Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator, was in third with 17 percent and U.S. congressman Ron Paul in fourth with 13 percent.
"We proved here in South Carolina that people ... with the right ideas beats big money," Gingrich told supporters after his victory in the conservative state.
After strong performances in a series of debates, Gingrich was seen by South Carolina voters as the most likely Republican to beat Obama, a Democrat, in the November 6 election.
They also rejected millionaire former businessman Romney's pitch that he is the best bet to fix a broken U.S. economy and win the White House.
Romney and Gingrich, who have attacked each other mercilessly in a series of negative television ads since December, face off in a debate in Tampa, Florida, on Monday night.
ROMNEY TAX SOLUTION?
Romney has stumbled over questions about his personal finances in recent debates and acknowledged last week that he only pays a 15 percent tax rate, much lower than that of most working Americans.
The former Massachusetts governor has so far resisted calls from rivals, and even ally New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, to release his tax returns.
To try to put the tax return controversy behind him, the Romney campaign has a plan to settle the issue next week, a Republican official said.
That is part of a strategy to be more aggressive against Gingrich, a formidable debater who nevertheless has personal and professional baggage that the Romney team could exploit. Romney accuses Gingrich of being a Washington insider.
"The choice within our party has also come into stark focus. President Obama has no experience running a business and no experience running a state. Our party can't be lead to victory by someone who also has never run a business and never run a state," Romney said on Saturday.
Romney saw his aura of inevitability erode in South Carolina after leading opinion polls by 10 percentage points a week ago.
In Florida, he leads Gingrich by 40.5 percent to 22 percent, according to a poll of polls by RealClearPolitics.com. Santorum, a social conservative who is from Pennsylvania, is third with 15 percent.
Campaigns must spend at least $1 million each week to reach voters in the sprawling southern state, according to local political officials. Romney's allies have already spent $5 million, mostly on ads attacking Gingrich. No other candidate has a significant presence in the state.
Compared to 10 per cent in mid-December, over 19 per cent of US adults now own a tablet, according to Pew. There was an identical trend with ereaders, too, and there's not as much overlap as you might expectr: 29 per cent own one or the other. That is a lot of new iPads and Kindles. [Pew via Electronista] More »
It looks like Sony's been reading our daily email missives, bemoaning the state of its PlayStation certified gaming selection. The message appears to be getting through, with several PSP titles getting spotted over at the Entertainment Software Rating Board with PlayStation certification. Ahead of any official fanfare, there's no big hitters here just yet, but titles like Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Daxter are likely to be more resonant with gamers than the pitiful offering we've seen so far from its PS Store app. Alongside Syphon Filter and Daxter, PS3 port Fl0w and Pinball Heroes were also spotted getting their contents okayed by the ESRB. Unsurprisingly, there's no detail here on release dates or technical requirements -- something that we reckon could be important, given the technical gap between the Xperia Play and the dual-cored innards of Sony's tablets. It's also worth noting that Pinball Heroes is already available on the Tablet P. Sorry Sony, but we'd still trade all of what's been leaked here for a portable version of the original Metal Gear Solid -- without hesitation.
First the US Justice Department raided Kim Dotcom's sprawling New Zealand estate and seized random items from cars to Predator statues. Then they shut down the massive website, froze their assets and threw seven men into a New Zealand jail pending an extradition trial. Dotcom and his cronies weren't the only ones felling the pinch, though. Megaupload's 180 million reported users were left locked out, unable to access their files. Now those files might be deleted forever as soon as Thursday.
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Public release date: 22-Jan-2012
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