UO E-clips, Feb. 6
Top stories for February 6, 2008: New devices to boost nematode research on neurons and drugs, a UO news release was picked up quickly today by Web science sites, including Science Daily, RxPG NEWS, Nanowerk and PhysOrg.com; the Oregon Daily Emerald reports that previously reported UO brain research has prompted renewed scientific discussion in cyberspace; the Register-Guard reports that UO football coach Mike Bellotti is holding off talking publicly about a receiver's recent arrest until he talks with the player
New devices to boost nematode research on neurons and drugs (Science Daily, others) A pair of new thin, transparent devices, constructed with soft lithography, should boost research in which nematodes are studied to explore brain-behavior connections and to screen new pharmaceuticals for potential treatment of parasitic infections in humans, report 10 scientists at three institutions. The tools -- an artificial soil device and a waveform sampler device, both of which can be held easily in a human hand -- are detailed in a paper appearing online ahead of regular publication by the Journal of Neurophysiology. "There is a commonality between these devices that is really going to help us understand how the nervous system works," said lead researcher Shawn Lockery, a professor of biology and member of the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon.
Brain research prompts scientific discussion (Daily Emerald): Consider the brain as a nightclub. Is it more important to have a selective bouncer or a huge nightclub? That's a question University researcher Ed Vogel proposed. In 2005, University researchers found that the brain's filter plays an important role in how much people can think about at once - three or four things, on average. The University's ongoing research on working memory has helped prompt follow-up research on the topic and has recently spurred more discussion on the topic in the online scientific community, including the Scientific American Community blog.
Bellotti waits to speak with receiver (Register-Guard): Mike Bellotti wants to speak personally with receiver Derrick Jones before commenting publicly on the status of the troubled UO football player, an athletic department spokesman said Monday. Jones has been arrested and jailed for missing court appearances twice in the past four months. The latest incident occurred Jan. 25, and was accompanied by a charge of frequenting a place where controlled substances are used. The missed court appearance related to a minor traffic offense. Kenyon Trumane Brown was cited for marijuana possession during the arrest at Jones’ apartment, according to a Eugene Police spokeswoman. Brown is a cousin of Jones’ who was visiting Eugene.