Labex Korea Colletion

By Gilberto Silber Schmidt
Labex Korea – The new format of Labex Korea Collection provide our readers more facilities to identify and read the titles of interest without having to go through the entire page. The PDF document includes the TOP10′s for each month. This version includes the articles published in January, February and March. Enjoy

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Engineers Tap Algae Cells for Electricity

Alternative Energy – With the help of photosynthesis plants convert light energy to chemical energy. This chemical energy is stored in the bonds of sugars they use for food. Photosynthesis happens inside a chloroplast. Chloroplasts are considered as the cellular powerhouses that make sugars and impart leaves and algae a green hue. During photosynthesis water is split into oxygen, protons and electrons. When sunrays fall on the leaves and reach the chloroplast, electrons get excited and attain higher energy level. These excited electrons are caught by proteins. The electrons are passed through a series of proteins. These proteins utilize more of the electrons’ energy to synthesize sugars until the entire electron’s energy is exhausted … Read More

Source and Photo: Alternative Energy
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BIOTA-FAPESP launches e-book on benthic organisms

By Fábio de Castro

Agência FAPESP – The BIOTA-FAPESP program recently released its e-book, Biodiversity and Benthic Marine Ecosystems on the Northern São Paulo Coast, Southeastern Brazil. In 550 illustrated pages, the publication presents an integrated inventory of fauna associated with marine substrates – benthic organisms – on the northern São Paulo coast. This highly diverse and complex biota includes important organisms in the biogeochemical cycles of oceans and seas.

The content is the result of the Thematic Project “Benthic Marine Biodiversity in São Paulo State,” funded by FAPESP from 2000 to 2005 and coordinated by Antonia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral, of the Department of Zoology at the Biology Institute of Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). …… >>Read More<<

Source and Photo: FAPESP, April 25th, 2012
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Dutch Government Ok’s Publication of H5N1 Study

By Martin Enserink
Science – Fouchier had been fiercely opposed to applying for an export license, which he says is an inappropriate tool to control the flow of scientific information. He eventually filed for the permit while disputing the obligation to do so.
Fouchier says he’s “glad but not surprised” by the decision. “It would have been strange” if the government had held up publication after NSABB and an expert panel at the World Health Organization recommended publication, says Fouchier. The Rotterdam lab will not break out the champagne until the paper actually comes out, he says. “Then we’ll throw a party.” …… >>Read More<<

Source: Science, April 27th, 2012.
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Secret Briefing HelpedSway H5N1 Flu Papers Decision

By David Malakoffon
Science – A classified briefing from U.S. intelligence officials helped persuade a majority of members of a government advisory board that the benefits of publishing two controversial H5N1 avian influenza studies outweighed the risks, according to testimony presented yesterday at a U.S. Senate hearing.

The late March briefing to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) left “the impression that the risk of misuse did not appreciably increase with full publication and there is a high likelihood of undesirable political consequences to not publishing,” microbiologist Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, acting chair of NSABB, told the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs…. >>Read More<<

Source: Science, April 27th, 2012
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UN betting on ‘New Biotechnology Green”

Labex Korea – The report Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing, the High-Level Panel for Global Sustainability issued 56 recommendations to put into practice sustainable development and highlights it on the agenda of economic policies. The 22-member panel, created by UN Secretary General in August 2010, is co-chaired by the President of Finland Tarja Halonen and President of South Africa Jacob Zuma. “With the possibility that the world is plunging further into recession, policy makers are hungry for ideas that can help them navigate through these perilous times,” said President Zuma. “Our report makes clear that sustainable development is more important than ever given the multiple crises that beset the world today.”
The report emphasizes the importance of science as a guide in decision making on issues of sustainability. The report adds that the ‘new biotechnologies green’ could have a ‘valuable role in enabling farmers to adapt to climate change, improve resistance to pests, restore soil fertility and contributing to the diversification of rural economy’.

Click here to download the report and here to watch the video for the press
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New international plant science network will boost collaborative research

A new European Commission-funded network launched at the end of January will coordinate plant science research across Europe and beyond. 26 partners from 23 countries will pool their resources and expertise in order to fund plant science research programmers to help address global challenges such as ensuring food security and providing sustainable Bioenergy.
The network, (ERA-NET for Coordinating Action in Plant Sciences – ERA-CAPS) will be coordinated by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It will run until 2014 and is expected to fund two calls for collaborative research projects as well as organizing strategic workshops for identifying common priorities and activities around data sharing and open access…. >>Read More<<

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Germoplasm Resources Information “Network-Global”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) throught the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) partnering with Biodiversity International and Global Crop Diversity Trust, has launched the Germoplasm Resources Information Network-Global (GRIN-Global).
It is a data management system based on the Internet for plant gene banks worldwide. The USDA’s Chief Scientist, Catherine Woteki, launched the germplasm network in a White House event on Innovation for Global Development. “Innovation in agriculture is essential for global development,” said Woteki. “For the agricultural gene banks, researchers and producers worldwide, the GRIN-Global offers a powerful tool to safeguard data and use the valuable agricultural diversity.”
“Crop diversity underpins all agriculture, everywhere,” said Cary Fowler, Executive Director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which provided $1.4 million in support of this three-year project. “Plant breeders turn to genebanks for this diversity, whether they are searching for pest resistance or drought tolerance or any other characteristic. How the seeds and the associated information are managed is therefore of huge importance to that breeding effort. USDA’s genebank management software is the best in the world, and GRIN-Global now makes this technology available for free to genebanks everywhere. This is real innovation for development.” ….. >>Read More<<

Source:United States Department of Agriculture, February 8th, 2012
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Nagoya Protocol signatories reaches 92

Labex Korea – The signing of these 91 countries and the European Union effectively demonstrates that the international community is committed to promote the early entry into force of this unique legal instrument in the service of sustainable development. I call upon Parties that have not yet done so to expedite their internal procedures ratification in 2012, which coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the opening of the Summit for Life on Earth, “said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Click here to download the documents in PDF file
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SciELO Brasil remains the leader among scientific publication portals

By Elton Alisson

Agência FAPESP – Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) Brasil continues to be the leader among the largest free, open access portals of scientific information worldwide.

This title follows the release of the new Ranking Web of World Repositories, known as Webometrics, which measures the visibility of repositories of scientific information on the main internet search engines.

Source and Photo: Agência FAPESP, March 28th, 2012
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