/'); /]]> Science News Share Blog Cite Print Email Bookmark Small Dogs Originated in the Middle East, Genetic Study Finds ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2010) -- A genetic study has found that small domestic dogs probably originated in the Middle East more than 12,000 years ago. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology traced the evolutionary history of the IGF1 gene, finding that the version of the gene that is a major determinant of small size probably originated as a result of the domestication of the Middle Eastern gray wolf. Melissa Gray and Robert Wayne, from the University of California, Los Angeles, led a team of researchers who surveyed a large sample of gray wolf populations. She said, "The mutation for small body size post-dates the domestication of dogs. However, because all small dogs possess this variant of IGF1, it probably arose early in their history. Our results show that the version of the IGF1 gene found in small dogs is closely related to that found in Middle Eastern wolves and is consistent with an ancient origin in this region of small domestic dogs.
ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2010) -- A genetic study has found that small domestic dogs probably originated in the Middle East more than 12,000 years ago. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology traced the evolutionary history of the IGF1 gene, finding that the version of the gene that is a major determinant of small size probably originated as a result of the domestication of the Middle Eastern gray wolf.
Melissa Gray and Robert Wayne, from the University of California, Los Angeles, led a team of researchers who surveyed a large sample of gray wolf populations. She said, "The mutation for small body size post-dates the domestication of dogs. However, because all small dogs possess this variant of IGF1, it probably arose early in their history. Our results show that the version of the IGF1 gene found in small dogs is closely related to that found in Middle Eastern wolves and is consistent with an ancient origin in this region of small domestic dogs.
Nearly 500 years after Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of the globe using nothing but renewable power, Swiss engineer Raphael Domjan and French sailor Gerard D'Abouville are preparing to repeat Elcano's journey in an all-electric boat powered by the energy gathered by 470 square meters of solar panels. Unveiled for the first time in a ceremony at a shipyard in Kiel, Germany, last week, their vessel is a catamaran made entirely out of the same kind of carbon-fiber composites that make modern airplane wings strong yet light. On its 40,000-kilometer journey, the 30-meter long and 15.2-meter wide boat, known as PlanetSolar, will have to withstand high winds, stormy seas and days without sunshine. On board, the world's largest lithium-ion battery, a 13-tonne monster capable of storing 1,300 kilowatt-hours of energy when fully charged, will allow the boat to slice through the water at an average speed of 13 kilometers per hour for three days straight in complete darkness before its charge is completely exhausted. The ship can fully recharge its battery in the span of a little more than two days of full sunshine if it's not drawing power at the same time, such as when it's docked in a marina, according to Domjan, a paramedic turned engineer who is the visionary behind PlanetSolar as well as its co-captain. The ship is designed, however, to operate at sea indefinitely, and under normal conditions its 38,000 solar cells average enough power production to muster the 20 kilowatts of power needed to keep the boat cruising along at its average speed. The maximum electrical output of all the cells together on a sunny day is about 100 kilowatts.
There needs to be a "radical overhaul" of road travel in the UK to avoid future gridlock, the CBI business organisation has warned.It said measures that need to be explored include staggered work commutes, increased car sharing, and more working from home. The CBI estimates road congestion now costs the UK economy up to £8bn a year. It warned this could more than double by 2025 unless more action is taken to tackle the problem.
There needs to be a "radical overhaul" of road travel in the UK to avoid future gridlock, the CBI business organisation has warned.
It said measures that need to be explored include staggered work commutes, increased car sharing, and more working from home.
The CBI estimates road congestion now costs the UK economy up to £8bn a year.
It warned this could more than double by 2025 unless more action is taken to tackle the problem.
Mr Cridland added that the CBI "would like to see policymakers put the same amount of energy and vision into roads as they are doing on high-speed rail."
