News

Embryology

Embryology
Thursday, May 3, 2012

Insect glands are responsible for producing a host of secretions that allow bees to sting and ants to lay down trails to and from their nests. New research from Carnegie scientists focuses on secretions from glands in the reproductive tract that help sperm survive and guide the sperm on the trip to fertilize an egg. The gene that controls the development of these glands in fruit flies provides important information about gland development in all insects, as well as potential clues to similar human reproductive glands.

Geophysical Laboratory

Geophysical Laboratory
Thursday, April 12, 2012

How hydrogen--the most abundant element in the cosmos--responds to extremes of pressure and temperature is one of the major challenges in modern physical science. Moreover, knowledge gleaned from experiments using hydrogen as a testing ground on the nature of chemical bonding can fundamentally expand our understanding of matter. New work from Carnegie scientists has enabled researchers to examine hydrogen under pressures never before possible.

Global Ecology

Global Ecology
Monday, March 26, 2012

Carnegie staff scientist Greg Asner has been selected as one of 22 experts to serve the U.S. government as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) through the Senior ECPA Fellows Program. Fellows will work with local government agencies, civil society groups, and universities throughout the Western Hemisphere to discuss regional impacts of climate change and energy policy, and develop relationships for continued multi-lateral cooperation.

Observatories

Observatories
Monday, April 30, 2012

For the first time, astronomers have detected the presence of arsenic and selenium, neighboring elements near the middle of the periodic table, in an ancient star in the faint stellar halo that surrounds the Milky Way. Arsenic and selenium are elements at the transition from light to heavy element production, and have not been found in old stars until now.

Plant Biology

Plant Biology
Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The American Society for Plant Biology (ASPB) awarded Wolf B. Frommer, director of Carnegie’s Department of Plant Biology, the Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research for “his major contributions in the development of fundamental tools and technologies essential for breakthrough discoveries that advance our understanding of glucose, sucrose, ammonium, amino acid, and nucleotide transport in plants.”

Terrestrial Magnetism

Department of Terrestrial Magnetism
Monday, May 14, 2012

Carnegie’s Larry Nittler of Carnegie’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism has been appointed deputy principal investigator of the MESSENGER mission to Mercury. Principal investigator Sean Solomon, also of Carnegie, made the announcement at the first plenary of the 26th science team meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.