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A.
A Cell Signaling Pathway Linked to Pancreatic Cancer
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A cell signaling pathway
active during embryonic development has been linked
to pancreatic cancer - one of the fourth leading
causes of cancer deaths in this country. Matthias
Hebrok of the University of California, San Francisco,
says this signaling pathway is known as the Hedgehog
pathway - a name derived from its spiky physical
appearance.
Hebrok:
The Hedgehog signaling pathway has been implicated
in cancer and we had early on information that it
is expressed in specific tissue that are believed
to give rise to adenocarcinoma, the prevalent pancreatic
cancer.
Narrator:
Using human cell lines, the researchers demonstrated
that pancreatic cancer growth could be halted by
chemically blocking the Hedgehog pathway.
Hebrok:
What I really hope for is that eventually Hedgehog
inhibitors will become part of a cocktail either
with already existing chemotherapeutical treatment
options that are not very good for pancreatic cancer
or with novel ones that will help to at least give
patients hope.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
An Experimental System Boosts Cotton Crop Potentials
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Agricultural scientists at
the University of California are studying experimental
systems that may boost cotton crop potentials. Cotton
specialist Bob Hutmacher of the University of California,
Davis, says for over four years now, they've been
studying a double-row cotton planting concept that
has led to a 4 to 12% increase in yield.
Hutmacher:
What we've been looking at essentially a change in
planting systems that would have two planted rows
per bed. In addition, under quite a few different
conditions, we find a little bit of advantage in terms
of earliness of the crop, which can help in terms
of getting it off the field earlier. The other thing
that we've found is some potential for the plants
to develop and kind of shade out potential weeds that
may be coming up and that's proven to be a fairly
consistent advantage with this type of system.
Narrator:
California cotton production represents about 10 to
14% of the total U.S. yearly production. For Science
Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
An Incentive to Buy a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Most people's largest purchase,
after their home, is their car-but on average, people
only use their car one hour a day. That's why Daniel
Kammen of the Energy Resources Group at the University
of California, Berkeley, recommends people consider
buying a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, which can earn
you cash back during those other twenty-three hours.
Kammen:
If you can drive your car to work, the fuel cell powered
car to work, and leave it running while you're at
work and sell electricity back to the grid, now you've
got a neat vehicle to grid power source. And most
people are at work during mid-afternoon, that's when
the price of power goes up the most, because that's
when the demand is highest, and that's when you are
at work, but your car can be generating power. You
then get in your car, drive home, and then leave the
car turned on essentially and then run your home off
of it.
Narrator:
Kammen says taking your power source around with you
works in conjunction with another progressive trend
their group is working on that's called onsite generation
with microgrids. For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
The Benefits of Vitamin C Supplementation
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Vitamin C supplementation offers
significant protection to people exposed to secondhand
tobacco smoke. Gladys Block, a professor of nutritional
epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley,
found that taking 500 milligrams of vitamin C significantly
reduced oxidative damage, which can lead to heart
and lung disease.
Block:
We know from other studies that people who are exposed
to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of heart
disease, an increased risk of cancer and an increased
risk of various lung diseases and so on. So what we
were testing was, can these vitamin supplements lower
your oxidative damage? And in fact, we found that
it did.
Narrator:
Block says no one can get the desired 500 milligrams
from diet alone.
Block:
Probably fifty percent of the population on any
given day gets less than about 90 milligrams. So,
eat your fruits and vegetables, but I think also take
a vitamin supplement as an additional boost.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
Activism Against Soil Extinction Gains Momentum
Narrator:
This is Science Today. You may not have yet heard
the slogan "save the dirt," but activism
against soil extinction in the United States is gaining
momentum. Soil specialist Ron Amundson of the University
of California, Berkeley, says that as the number of
extinct soil types increases, eco-friendly activists
are being reminded that saving endangered species
means protecting the soil that sustains them.
Amundson:
There is indeed a relationship indeed between endangered
plants and endangered soils in the United States.
As one might expect, as certain soil types disappear,
soil types that because of their properties harbor
certain plant types, as those soils disappear, the
plants themselves tend to disappear.
Narrator:
Amundson
encourages setting aside undisturbed areas where unique
soils can help rare species to flourish.
Amundson:
So I think among professional conservationists,
there's a growing sense that it's not just what's
growing there, it's the whole environment that's very
important in conservation and preservation efforts.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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