UO E-clips, Dec. 21

Microbiology: Detoxifying enzyme helps animals stomach bacteria (journal Science): Scientists since Louis Pasteur have puzzled over a visceral issue: How can we live in peaceful coexistence with the scads of potentially noxious bacteria in our guts? Last week, a University of Oregon team reported a key insight: When bacteria colonize vertebrate intestines, the tissue produces an enzyme that appears to defuse a dangerous toxin the microbes wield. The work "offers a novel explanation for the ability of humans to coexist with our microflora," says Lora Hooper, an immunologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. It provides a "satisfying explanation for how we can maintain a friendly relationship with the hundred trillion bacteria in our guts."

Driver who died in crash identified (Register-Guard): The University of Oregon’s Russian studies department is mourning the loss of a long-time adjunct instructor who died Wednesday when his car hit a pole in south Eugene. Oleg Dmitrievich Kripkov, 52, of Eugene taught courses in Russian history and literature at the UO beginning in 1995. He was also active in Eugene’s anti-war and environmental movements. His wife, Yelaina Kripkov, serves as the Russian language coordinator and instructor for the Russian and Eastern European Studies Center at the university.