Drama in the Heart of the Tarantula

A new image of the Tarantula Nebula, a massive star-forming region close to the Milky Way, was released on 11 December 2008 by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The image, which will help astronomers to understand how massive stars shape other worlds, represents almost 31 hours of observing time with the Chandra X-Ray Telescope -- three times longer than previously recorded.

Read the full press release about this image.

Properties of Unusual Virus Revealed

A team of researchers from Penn State University and the University of Chicago has uncovered clues that may explain how and why a particular virus, called N4, injects an unusual substance -- an RNA polymerase protein -- into an E. coli bacterial cell. The results, which are published in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell, contribute to improved understanding of the infection strategies used by viruses that attack bacterial cells. The results also may help other researchers to come up with new ideas about ways to kill E. coli bacteria, which can be dangerous to humans.

Read the full press release about this research.

Underwater Eden: Dispatches from Northeastern Brazil

Coral communities worldwide are suffering from diseases, pollution and global warming, but Brazil's reef system is one of the few that has managed to escape noticeable damage — at least for now. Todd LaJeunesse, assistant professor of biology at Penn State, and his colleagues are embarking on a quest to document the uniqueness of Brazil's coral species by studying the symbiotic algae that they require to survive. In addition, they will investigate the evolutionary biology of the coral-algal symbiosis to see if they can uncover secrets about the organisms' ancient histories and their potential to withstand the ravages of climate change.

Read the full blog about this trip!

Scientists Sequence Woolly-Mammoth Genome

Scientists at Penn State are leaders of a team that is the first to report the genome-wide sequence of the woolly mammoth, an extinct species of elephant that was adapted to living in the cold environment of the northern hemisphere. The results have yielded information about the evolution of the three known elephant species: the modern-day African and Indian elephants and the woolly mammoth. The team, which is led by biologists Stephan Schuster and Webb Miller, hopes that lessons learned from the mammoth genome about why some animals go extinct while others do not will be useful in protecting other species from extinction, such as the Tasmanian devil, whose survival is threatened by a deadly facial cancer. In addition, the team said that by deciphering the mammoth's genome, other researchers could, in theory, bring the woolly mammoth back to life by inserting the uniquely mammoth DNA sequences into the genome of the modern-day elephant.

Read the full press release about this study.

Listen to an NPR story featuring this research.

Read a story about this research in the New York Times.

Read a story about this research in BBC News.