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David Bricker
IU Media Relations
brickerd@indiana.edu
812-856-9035

Last modified: Friday, November 11, 2005

Indiana Science Monthly flag











Vol. 3, no. 2
Nov. 11, 2005


Indiana Science Monthly is a selection of recent news stories about Indiana University scientists and their research. Comments or questions about this newsletter may be directed to David Bricker, Office of Media Relations (812-856-9035 or brickerd@indiana.edu).

October science news:
* Resolving creation and evolution
* Celebrating Canadian science in Indiana
* Anonymity on the Internet

Notices
* Fall 2005 Research Symposium in Bloomington
* Images from sLowlife's D.C. opening


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October science news
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"The danger of speaking from the shadows" (LIBRARY SCIENCE/INFORMATICS)
Christian Science Monitor
Oct. 31, 2005

EXCERPT: As Friday's indictment of the vice president's top aide rocked Washington, it also stirred debate well beyond the Beltway on the curious power of anonymity to compel riveting disclosures from those with the loftiest and lowliest of motives.

* Is anonymity a Dr. Jekyll pill? Indiana University School of Library and Information Science Dean Blaise Cronin recently decried the lack of civility and honesty among widely read blogs. Ironically, Cronin soon found himself the target of an e-mailstrom. Colleague Alice Robbin, who directs the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics, tells Christian Science Monitor reporter G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Cronin "was viciously attacked by people [from] all over the world -- all anonymous... These people would never have made these awful remarks if they had to show their faces or give their real names... They were so thrilled, and it was associated with antiauthority... They were taking it out on a dean."

https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1031/p13s02-lire.html

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"Injected into a controversy" (MEDICINE)
USA Today
Oct. 20, 2005

EXCERPT: A much-anticipated vaccine against cervical cancer could be on the market as soon as next year. But a number of questions remain about who should be immunized.

* The article by USA Today reporter Rita Rubin refers to a recent IU School of Medicine study that showed parents were likely to support the vaccination of their children against sexually transmitted diseases.

https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-10-19-cervical-cancer-injection_x.htm

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"ACS Scholars Celebrate Anniversary" (CHEMISTRY)
Chemical & Engineering News
Vol. 83, no. 42
Oct. 17, 2005

EXCERPT: In 1989, Venezuela erupted in economic turmoil and political unrest. That year, 15-year-old Daniel J. Mindiola and his mother came to the U.S. He didn't do particularly well in high school chemistry. But at Michigan State University, his freshman chemistry professor made it look so easy that he asked to do research with her after the first lecture. He got his chance a few months later. After earning a B.S. in chemistry and then completing a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mindiola did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago. Now he runs a research group of 11 students at Indiana University, Bloomington.

* The American Chemical Society Scholars program celebrated its 10th anniversary in October 2005. IUB chemist Daniel Mindiola was the first ACS Scholar to receive a Ph.D. Mindiola recently received the (U.S.) Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The ACS publishes Chemical & Engineering News.

https://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/83/i42/html/8342acsnews.html
(Access may require a subscription)

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"The whole world, from whose hands" (BIOLOGY)
USA Today
Oct. 11, 2005

EXCERPT: The battle between secular defenders of evolution and those who believe in a divine Creator is more than a century old, yet there's no lessening in its emotional and intellectual intensity. The latest wrinkle is intelligent design, a boundary-crossing belief that is the focus of a federal court trial on whether it should be taught in schools. A new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll sheds light on where Americans stand (53% of respondents say the Bible had it right). And USA TODAY science reporter Dan Vergano and religion writer Cathy Lynn Grossman look at the opposing sides to learn why each believes it cannot be wrong...

* In the "Scientists" section of Vergano and Grossman's survey, IUB biologist Jeffrey Palmer is quoted: "Evolutionary biology is famously full of controversy, but evolution remains the central organizing concept... If indeed deep flaws in parts of evolutionary biology of the kind speculated upon existed, scientists would be the first to change course."

https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2005-10-10-evolution-debate-centerpiece_x.htm

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"Flash Forward" (MEDICINE)
Maclean's
Oct. 5, 2005

EXCERPT: "We will learn how to control the development of the child in embryo and thus prevent mistakes in body formation before they happen," says Nobel Prize winner Dr. Herman J. Muller, of Indiana University.

* The quote comes from a 1958 Maclean's magazine article in which Muller made predictions about the future of human reproduction and fertility treatment. Among those predictions, Muller thought it possible a single human will some day "bud" offspring asexually -- with the help of a living womb, of course.

Not available online.

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"Scientific giants of integrity" (MEDICINE)
Toronto Star
Oct. 5, 2005

EXCERPT: Canadians James Till and Ernest McCulloch are more than just lab geniuses, The recent celebration of James Till and Ernest McCulloch's groundbreaking stem cell research in the early 1960s pays homage to two Canadian scientific giants, whose work went largely unnoticed by the general public until the pair were given a long overdue 2005 Lasker Award, North America's most coveted medical prize.

* Eric Meslin, director of the IU School of Medicine's Center for Bioethics, lauds the scientific accomplishments of two fellow Canadian natives, James Till and Ernest McCulloch in this Toronto Star op-ed. Till and McCulloch made early, important discoveries in stem cell research.

https://www.gairdner.org/03_05_10_05_1.html

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"Gibberellin Receptor Found" (BIOLOGY)
Chemical & Engineering News
Vol. 83, no. 40
Oct. 3, 2005

EXCERPT: A target of the plant hormones known as gibberellins has been identified.

* IUB biologist Mark Estelle, who recently found a receptor for another plant hormone (auxin, or indoleacetic acid) is asked to evaluate the Japanese discovery. He tells C&E News reporter A. Maureen Rouhi, "Gibberellins have been known for decades and have a central role in plant growth development." Sounds vaguely familiar...

https://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/83/i40/html/8340notw7.html
(Access may require a subscription)

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"Universal computation" (MATHEMATICS)
Physics Today
October 2005

EXCERPT: Even before topological quantum computing looking as though it might be feasible, Kitaev's paper inspired theorists to explore its properties. In 2000, Freedman and Kitaev, working with Michael Larsen and Zhengang Wang of Indiana University, proved that topological and qubit-based quantum computers are equivalent or, rather, that each can faithfully simulate the other.

https://www.aip.org/pt/vol-58/iss-10/pdf/vol58no10p24_25.pdf

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Notices

Fall 2005 Research Symposium in Bloomington
The Research Symposium offers the latest information on IU research and sponsored programs administration and provides a forum to discuss the challenges of conducting research today. Anyone involved in the conduct of research at all Indiana University campuses is welcome to attend including the following individuals: departmental research administrators; new and experienced faculty; graduate students, post docs, and fellows; and senior administration.
* Meet the research staff from pre-award, post-award, and compliance
* Find out what you need to know about developing and submitting proposals and managing awards
* Learn the latest with regard to research compliance issues in the areas of human subjects, animal care and use, and more
* Select from three sets of four 45-minute breakout sessions offering basic to more advanced information
See https://www.iupui.edu/~resed/symposiumfall05intro.html for more information.

Images from sLowlife's D.C. opening
IUB biologist Roger Hangarter co-opened a science art exhibit in Washington, D.C. recently. A few images of the installation and the opening reception can be viewed by visiting: https://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/usbg/installationpics.htm. Take a virtual tour of the exhibit: https://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/usbg/.

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* * * * Do you have an important and/or interesting paper in press? A major event or presentation coming up? Please contact IU Office of Media Relations science writers David Bricker at 812-856-9035, brickerd@indiana.edu, or Hal Kibbey at 812-855-0074, hkibbey@indiana.edu.

Indiana Science Monthly is produced for internal use only. If you have received this eMail in error, or do not wish not to receive this monthly eMail, or if you have a news item for the next edition of ISM, please contact David Bricker at 812-856-9035, brickerd@indiana.edu.