Science News Update: May 4th

Coelocanths, infectious disease and disappearing bees are featured in our latest science news update. Several of you have been asking for links to science videos for use in your classes, so this week we are featuring two great videos from Science260. More videos are available on our RicochetScience YouTube site.

Coelacanth Genome Surfaces: Unexpected Insights To An Ancient-Looking Fish (Science360, Broad Institute)

There is far more to the coelocanth than just being a living fossil. This new video from the Broad Institute provides some insight into some secrets buried in the coelocanth genome.

More on this topic is available from the article “Coelacanth genome surfaces” on the Broad Institute site.

Changing Planet: Infectious Diseases (Science360; NBC Learn)

Video on the potential effects of global climate change the effectiveness of mosquitos to increase the rates of infectious diseases such as cholera and dengue fever.

Other news in this update:

Painted turtles set to become all-female (New Scientist, May 3)

The painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) is a common sight across North America, but it may not be for long. Sex determination in reptiles is frequently driven by temperature, and the effects of climate change, specifically global warming may be leading the painted turtle to extinction. Very good article linking sex determination, climate change and extinction.

Study Finds No Single Cause of Honeybee Deaths (NY Times, May 2nd)

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is causing severe problems with honeybee populations. While a number of factors have been blamed, from pesticides to mites, this study suggests that the problem may be more complicated than originally thought.