Conversion from 'bad' fat to good fat

Apr. 28, 2013 ? Scientists from ETH Zurich have shown for the first time that brown and white fat cells in a living organism can be converted from one cell type to the other. Their work, using mice as a model organism, provides important new insights into the origin of brown fat cells, which is a prerequisite for the development of successful anti-obesity therapies.

Two types of fat cells can be found in mammals and hence in humans: White fat cells function mainly as highly flexible energy stores which are filled in times of calorie abundance. The fat is stored in the form of lipid droplets, which are mobilized when energy is needed. Diametrically opposed in function are the so-called brown adipocytes: These cells specialize in burning energy in the form of fat and sugar to produce heat. New-born babies possess substantial amounts of brown fat and utilize it to maintain body temperature. Since it was recently shown that brown adipocytes also exist in adult humans, research has focused on understanding how brown adipocytes are formed. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to increase brown adipocyte number and activity in obese humans, allowing them to burn excess calories and thus reduce weight.

Against the current belief

It is known that both humans and mice can adapt to cold temperatures by forming brown fat cells within their white fat depots. These cells are called "brite" fat cells (brown-in-white) and are less common at warmer versus colder temperatures. However, the origin of these special brown adipocytes has remained a matter of debate. The prevalent hypothesis was that brite cells are formed from special precursor cells and are removed when no longer needed. The alternate idea of a direct interconversion between white and brown fat cells gained less attention. By demonstrating that this interconversion does occur and is one of the main contributors to brite fat cell formation, the current belief has been challenged.

Genetically labelled fat cells

To demonstrate how brite fat cells are formed the researchers in the laboratory of Christian Wolfrum, a professor at the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, generated mice that allowed them to genetically label specific fat cells. These animals were kept in a changing environment: starting at 8?C for a week and for several weeks afterwards at normal room temperature. During the cold exposure, the mice formed brown adipocytes in their white fat depots -- a process called "britening." After warm adaptation the fat tissue turned white again. Using the genetic markers the scientists concluded from these experiments that white fat cells can convert into brown fat cells and vice versa. As humans have the same type of cells as mice it is likely that the same process occurs in humans upon cold stimulation.

Treatments against obesity

"To develop new treatment strategies we need to find ways to convert white into brown adipocytes," says Wolfrum. Most of the research has focused on identifying the precursor cells for brown fat cells, an approach that may be insufficient. Future work will address the question of how to manipulate this interconversion process either by pharmacological or by nutritional means.

This approach would represent a novel strategy. "Current anti-obesity therapies target the energy intake side of the equation by controlling appetite and the uptake of nutrients," says Wolfrum. The pharmacological treatments that are available are not very efficient and usually are associated with side effects. In contrast, this novel approach to treat obesity would target the energy expenditure side of the equation by promoting brown fat formation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by ETH Zurich, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. Matthias Rosenwald, Aliki Perdikari, Thomas R?licke, Christian Wolfrum. Bi-directional interconversion of brite and white?adipocytes. Nature Cell Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ncb2740

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/3LfJOKXIqoE/130428144925.htm

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Turtle genome analysis sheds light on turtle ancestry and shell evolution

Apr. 28, 2013 ? From which ancestors have turtles evolved? How did they get their shell? New data provided by the Joint International Turtle Genome Consortium, led by researchers from RIKEN in Japan, BGI in China, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK provides evidence that turtles are not primitive reptiles but belong to a sister group of birds and crocodiles. The work also sheds light on the evolution of the turtle's intriguing morphology and reveals that the turtle's shell evolved by recruiting genetic information encoding for the limbs.

Turtles are often described as evolutionary monsters, with a unique body plan and a shell that is considered to be one of the most intriguing structures in the animal kingdom.

"Turtles are interesting because they offer an exceptional case to understand the big evolutionary changes that occurred in vertebrate history," explains Dr. Naoki Irie, from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, who led the study.

Using next-generation DNA sequencers, the researchers from 9 international institutions have decoded the genome of the green sea turtle and Chinese soft-shell turtle and studied the expression of genetic information in the developing turtle.

Their results published in Nature Genetics show that turtles are not primitive reptiles as previously thought, but are related to the group comprising birds and crocodilians, which also includes extinct dinosaurs. Based on genomic information, the researchers predict that turtles must have split from this group around 250 million years ago, during one of the largest extinction events ever to take place on this planet.

"We expect that this research will motivate further work to elucidate the possible causal connection between these events," says Dr. Irie.

The study also reveals that despite their unique anatomy, turtles follow the basic embryonic pattern during development. Rather than developing directly into a turtle-specific body shape with a shell, they first establish the vertebrates' basic body plan and then enter a turtle-specific development phase. During this late specialization phase, the group found traces of limb-related gene expression in the embryonic shell, which indicates that the turtle shell evolved by recruiting part of the genetic program used for the limbs.

"The work not only provides insight into how turtles evolved, but also gives hints as to how the vertebrate developmental programs can be changed to produce major evolutionary novelties." explains Dr. Irie.

Another unexpected finding of the study was that turtles possess a large number of olfactory receptors and must therefore have the ability to smell a wide variety of substances. The researchers identified more than 1000 olfactory receptors in the soft-shell turtle, which is one of the largest numbers ever to be found in a non-mammalian vertebrate.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by RIKEN, via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

1. Zhuo Wang, Juan Pascual-Anaya, Amonida Zadissa, Wenqi Li, Yoshihito Niimura, Zhiyong Huang, Chunyi Li, Simon White, Zhiqiang Xiong, Dongming Fang, Bo Wang, Yao Ming, Yan Chen, Yuan Zheng, Shigehiro Kuraku, Miguel Pignatelli, Javier Herrero, Kathryn Beal, Masafumi Nozawa, Qiye Li, Juan Wang, Hongyan Zhang, Lili Yu, Shuji Shigenobu, Junyi Wang, Jiannan Liu, Paul Flicek, Steve Searle, Jun Wang, Shigeru Kuratani, Ye Yin, Bronwen Aken, Guojie Zhang, Naoki Irie. The draft genomes of soft-shell turtle and green sea turtle yield insights into the development and evolution of the turtle-specific body plan. Nature Genetics, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ng.2615

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/8zHOVHrvis0/130428144848.htm

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Self Improvement | Stanley Green talks about Resilience on The Self ...

Stanley Green knows about resilience. Do you? How do you react when you?ve had a really bad day? What do you do when you mess up the big sale, or get in a fight with your spouse or your boss? What would you do if ?you lost your job to someone less skilled or knowledgeable? When things go wrong, do you sulk in a corner or come out stronger than ever, ready to take on new challenges? Why is it that given the same situation and circumstances one person will give up and quit and another will learn, grow and triumph? Do you deflate or bounce back? Stan Green will talk about this ?bounce back? factor called ?resilience? and tell us about an online course designed to help you assess your own level of? resilience and develop the skills to deal with life?s stresses and setbacks with greater equanimity. Don?t we all need this? To learn more go to http://www.powerthinkingcorp.com.

Guest Bio:

?Stanley H. Greene helps people build their resilience?their ability to bounce back after a setback of any kind. He is President of the PowerThinking Corporation, a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in helping large corporations and small businesses reach their full potential. He has improved operational and financial results for companies primarily in cable TV, telecommunications, TV programming, and the Internet. Mr. Greene is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Association for Minorities in Cable (NAMIC). His flagship program , Resilience Online, is an effective, affordable training program which measures and helps you improve your ability to turn life?s challenges into successes. Join us to hear this remarkable man talk about an ability needed in these times?resilience.

Source: http://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/radio-show-2/stanley-green-talks-about-resilience-on-the-self-improvement-show-this-week/

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Astronomers discover the Ed Begley Jr. of galaxies

An international team of researchers have spotted the most fuel-efficient galaxy yet, which converts nearly 100 percent of its hydrogen gas into stars.

By Eoin O'Carroll,?Staff / April 24, 2013

The tiny red spot in this image is one of the most efficient star-making galaxies ever observed, converting gas into stars at the maximum possible rate. Visible-light observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (inset) reveal that the starlight in this galaxy is extraordinarily compact, with most of the light emitted by a region just a fraction of the size of the Milky Way galaxy.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI/IRAM

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Six billion or so light years from here, there's a galaxy that seems to take seriously the old Lakota maxim about using the whole buffalo.

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Except by "use" we mean "form stars out of" and by "buffalo" we mean "interstellar hydrogen gas."?

Hydrogen gas is the fuel that galaxies use to make new stars, and most galaxies are the equivalent of a Hummer with a broken oxygen sensor, four flat tires, and a buffalo carcass strapped to the roof. Most of the gas meant to transport you gets wasted. But a new study has spotted a galaxy that is converting gas into stars at a rate hundreds of times that of our galaxy with almost 100 percent efficiency.

An international team of scientists looked at data from?NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and spotted a galaxy that was just blazing with infrared radiation, equivalent, they say, to a trillion suns. Observations from the Hubble telescope confirmed that the galaxy, which is affectionately known as?SDSSJ1506+54, is extremely compact, with most of the infrared light pouring from an area that is a fraction of the size of our own Milky Way.?

The researchers then used data from the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer in the French Alps to detect the presence of carbon monoxide, which indicates the presence of hydrogen. By combining the gas measurements with the rate of star formation, the scientists found that the galaxy was forming stars out of the gas at a rate that is close to the theoretical maximum. Their paper, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Astrophysical Letters, calls it "star formation at its most extreme."

A NASA press release explains just how this galaxy is achieving such efficiency:

In regions of galaxies where new stars are forming, parts of gas clouds are collapsing due to gravity. When the gas is dense enough to squeeze atoms together and ignite nuclear fusion, a star is born. But this process can be halted by other newborn stars, as their winds and radiation blow the gas outward. The point at which this occurs sets the theoretical maximum for star formation. The galaxy SDSSJ1506+54 was found to be making stars right at this point, just before the gas clouds would otherwise be blown apart.

"We see some gas outflowing from this galaxy at millions of miles per hour, and this gas may have been blown away by the powerful radiation from the newly formed stars," said Ryan Hickox, an astrophysicist at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and a co-author on the study.

Why is this galaxy so efficient at converting hydrogen into stars while all the others are such slouches? It actually comes down to timing. We just happen to be witnessing the time period, six billion years ago, when this galaxy produces lots of stars. The researchers speculate that this period could have been triggered by the merging of two galaxies into one.?

In any case, it's a bright spot in our sky. As Discovery News's Ian O'Neill points out those living on a planet on the outskirts of this prolific star factory will have a "night" sky that is actually brighter than daylight.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/nSOMe2q9n60/Astronomers-discover-the-Ed-Begley-Jr.-of-galaxies

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The Edge: Joblessness? Deficits? Wars? Let's Party!

The Edge is National Journal's daily look at today in Washington -- and what's coming next. The email features analysis from NJ's top correspondents, the biggest stories of the day -- and always a few surprises. To subscribe, click here.

Joblessness? Deficits? Wars? Let's Party!

Washington never looks more out of touch than it will this weekend, when movie stars, music moguls, media mavens, and their advertisers join President Obama at the annual White House Correspondents? Association dinner.

It is called the ?nerd prom.?

Established decades ago to encourage comity between reporters and The Reported, the dinner has in recent years been overshadowed by star-gazing, extravagant parties, and the antics of hired comics. Conan O?Brien entertains the crowd Saturday night.

As we say in Washington, the dinner is ?lousy optics? ? rarely more so than Saturday night, when the backdrop will be joblessness, a budget deficit, the Boston Marathon bombing, and a blood-red line in Syria.

Traditionally, the president addresses the dinner to poke fun at himself and his audience before ending on a sober note. Last year, President Obama closed by praising ?a free press that isn?t afraid to ask questions, to examine and to criticize.?

And to party.

Ron Fournier
rfournier@nationaljournal.com

TOP NEWS?

HOUSE PASSES SENATE MEASURE TO EASE FLIGHT DELAYS. The House on Friday passed by a 361-41 vote a Senate measure to alleviate flight delays caused this week by furloughs of air traffic controllers and other essential FAA employees due to sequestration. The legislation will empower the Department of Transportation to cover the employee costs by shifting unspent funds. White House press secretary Jay Carney said that President Obama will sign the legislation, but added, ?Ultimately, this is no more than a temporary Band-Aid that fails to address the overarching threat to our economy posed by the sequester's mindless across-the-board cuts.? Read more

• The New Republic?s Noam Scheiber calls the Democrats? actions on the matter a ?shameful? cave-in.

LAWMAKERS QUIETLY SEEKING NEW PATH ON GUNS. Despite the high-profile failure of last week?s gun-bill vote, two of the major players involved in the matter are moving forward, albeit quietly, The New York Times reports. Both Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., are re-engaging, with Manchin saying he is looking at tweaking language in the failed background-check bill that would make it more palatable to rural constituencies. At the same time, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is working with Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Chuck Grassley of Iowa on a separate, anti-trafficking provision. Read more

• Despite the gun-bill setback, Toomey?s approval rating is at a record-high among Pennsylvania voters.

OBAMA ADDRESSES PLANNED PARENTHOOD CONFERENCE. President Obama on Friday addressed the national conference of Planned Parenthood, where he criticized state legislatures for passing laws restricting abortion rights. ?There's nothing conservative about the government injecting itself into decisions best made between a woman and her doctors," Obama told the audience. ?When politicians try to turn Planned Parenthood into a punching bag, they're not just talking about you, they're talking about the millions of women who you serve.? The president thanked the organization for its advocacy of the Affordable Care Act and asked for help in educating the public on the law?s benefits. Read more

DOING NOTHING IN SYRIA IS RISKIER THAN GETTING INVOLVED. Should the United States and its allies become directly involved in Syria?s civil war, historians may well look back at Thursday?s announcement that the regime of strongman Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people as an important inflection point. In truth, the Obama administration has already been quietly increasing its assistance to the Syrian rebels for months, as red flags continue to mount indicating that the cost of doing almost nothing about Syria has steadily begun to outweigh the risks of doing more, National Journal?s James Kitfield reports. Read more

THE AMERICAN DREAM, DOWNSIZED. This week?s National Journal magazine focuses on the economy, the middle class and downsized dreams. In the cover story, Amy Sullivan writes that the beginning of the 21st century was a lost decade for the middle class, but the decline has been underway for many more years. In the early 1970s, middle-class households earned 62 percent of the national income; today, they bring in just 45 percent. These households are more vulnerable, economists say, than at any time since World War II. Check out other offerings in the magazine, including how Millennials are the unluckiest generation, how retirement keeps getting further away, and how online education saves everyone money.?

• The economy expanded by 2.5 percent in the first quarter, but underwhelmed economists? expectations of about 3 percent growth.

GOVERNMENT MIGHT NOT HIT DEBT CEILING UNTIL AUTUMN.?According to analysts, the nation may not reach the debt limit as early as previously anticipated, due to increases in tax revenue, decreases in federal spending, and potential revenue from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, The Washington Post reports. The debt limit of $16.4 trillion has been suspended through May 18, at which point it is expected to automatically increase to $16.8 trillion. In light of the revenue streams and reduced spending, analysts now project that the government will reach the debt ceiling in September or October. Read more

FROMAN, PRITZKER REPORTEDLY CLOSE TO TRADE, COMMERCE NODS. Sources claim that Deputy National Security Adviser Mike Froman will soon be named U.S. Trade Representative, while billionaire businesswoman and Obama fundraiser Penny Pritzker is still slated for nomination as Commerce secretary, Reuters reports. The White House declined to comment on the nominations, which would address some of the final vacancies in Obama?s second-term Cabinet. Read more

PLEASE DON?T CALL IT A NERD PROM! ?Nerd prom? is a misnomer for Saturday's White House Correspondents? Dinner, The Atlantic Wire?s Philip Bump writes. ?By our math, over three-quarters of the announced guests at tomorrow night's non-prom are not nerds. The majority are celebrities.? However inaccurate, members of the media have embraced the term, which ?is really a humblebrag, a way of saying, ?I'm going to this thing that is so dorky because everyone who goes is such a brilliant nerd, and did I mention I am going to it.?? Read more

• NBC?s Tom Brokaw reiterated his criticism of the Dinner this week, saying, ?The breaking point for me was Lindsay Lohan. She became a big star at the White House Correspondents? Dinner. Give me a break.??

COLBERT BUSCH OUTRAISES SANFORD NEARLY TWO-TO-ONE. Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch raised nearly twice as much money as did former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford over the last two months, ahead of the May 7 special election for the Palmetto State's 1st District seat, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission late on Thursday. Colbert Busch brought in an impressive $877,694 in the pre-special election period, which ran from Feb. 28 to April 17. Sanford, meanwhile, raised $453,554 and ended the period with $284,245 in the bank, slightly more than Colbert Busch's $254,459 cash-on-hand total. Read more

WHY DID GABON GIVE OBAMA A GIFT WORTH OVER $52,000? On Thursday, Obama released a list of all the gifts he accepted in 2011 on behalf of the United States. For each gift, the PDF names the donor country, a description of the gift, an estimate of its value, and a reason why Obama accepted it. France was the third-most generous country to the United States by the value of its gifts ($42,144.86). Coming ahead of it was Brazil ($43,802.46), which seemed really fixated on giving Obama rare soccer jerseys. But the award for Most Lavish Foreign Dignitary goes to the president of Gabon, the tiny West African country, as National Journal?s Brian Fung reports. Read more

QUOTABLE

"I'm not going to try to get even with anybody. If you start to blame everyone else for something that happened you didn't like, it will destroy you. It will eat you alive." ? Former Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., in one of his first interviews since the end of his failed Senate campaign. (KSDK-TV)

BEDTIME READING

?DON?T BE STUPID. I JUST KILLED A POLICEMAN IN CAMBRIDGE.? The story of the carjacking that ultimately led to a manhunt for the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings ?unfolds like a Tarantino movie, bursts of harrowing action laced with dark humor and dialogue absurd for its ordinariness, reminders of just how young the men in the car were,? Eric Moskowitz writes for The Boston Globe. ?Girls, credit limits for students, the marvels of the Mercedes ML 350 and the iPhone 5, whether anyone still listens to CDs?all were discussed by the two 26-year-olds and the 19-year-old driving around on a Thursday night.? The man whose car was hijacked, known as ?Danny,? relays a 90-minute journey that ended in the daring escape that alerted the cops to the suspects? whereabouts. Read more

PLAY OF THE DAY

LET?S PARTY LIKE IT?S 2006!With the Thursday dedication of George W. Bush?s presidential library, hosts were able to recycle jokes from the previous decade.? Proving the point, Jon Stewart started The Daily Show nearly hyperventilating with giddiness and eventually had to breathe comically into a paper bag. On CBS, Craig Ferguson played on Bush?s last name, while David Letterman highlighted an interview with Bush?s mother, Barbara. On NBC, Jimmy Fallon made fun of Bush?s statue and The Tonight Show?s Jay Leno hit Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and President Obama.?Watch it here

REALITY CHECK

HILLARY CLINTON AND THAT CABLE ?SIGNATURE? SMOKING GUN. This week, The House released a scathing report on Benghazi that found Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had ?signed? an April 2012 cable that denied additional security for the mission in Benghazi, seemingly contradicting testimony she had given to Congress earlier this year saying she was unaware of such a request. The Washington Post?s Fact Checker takes a look at Republicans? claims, put forward most prominently by House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and finds the chairman and Republicans all wet. Read more

SUNDAY TV

DINNER THEATER. On D.C.'s self-congratulatory weekend, the Sunday shows will be dominated by the latest from Syria and Boston.

• NBC?s Meet the Presshosts Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
• CBS?s Face the Nationhosts Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
• ABC?s This Week hosts Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md.
• Fox News Sunday hosts Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas.
• CNN?s State of the Union hosts Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
• Bloomberg?s Capitol Gainshosts Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
• C-SPAN?s Newsmakersfeatures Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.

Subscribe to The EdgeSee The Edge Archive

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/edge-joblessness-deficits-wars-lets-party-160429765.html

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Rhode Island's marriage equality strategy a 'recipe' for other states?

Rhode Island is days away from becoming the 10th US state to allow same-sex marriage. The combination of coalition building and old-fashioned politics that got it passed is 'a recipe that could definitely be replicated in other states,' says Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, but opponents credit shifting national attitudes.

By David Klepper,?Associated Press / April 25, 2013

Rev. Betsy Garland (l.) and Rev. Dr. Byron Eddy Waterman, volunteers for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, sign in at a 'weekend of action' on April 20, in Providence, R.I. Volunteers from around New England pitched in to help connect Rhode Islanders with their senators to express their support for marriage equality.

Bizuayehu Tesfaye / Courtesy of Human Rights Campaign / AP

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Phone banks, an army of volunteers and alliances with organized labor, business leaders, and religious clergy propelled gay marriage to victory in Rhode Island this week, a savvy and coordinated strategy that relied on growing public support and old-fashioned bare-knuckle politics.

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Gay marriage legislation had failed every year in Rhode Island since 1997, leaving the heavily Catholic state the lone holdout in New England as the five other states changed their marriage laws. That's soon set to change. The state Senate voted Wednesday to allow gay marriage, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee plans to sign the bill into law following a final, procedural vote in the House next week.

The successful campaign could serve as a model for similar efforts in other states and reflects the increasingly sophisticated political strategy driving what just two decades ago was dismissed as a fringe issue with little public support, advocates and lawmakers alike say.

"This was a victory won by many people, because that's what it takes," House Speaker Gordon Fox, a Providence Democrat who is gay and led House efforts to pass gay marriage, said Thursday. "You bring everyone together, and you're stronger for it. It's a recipe that could definitely be replicated in other states."

Opponents, however, say their defeat in Rhode Island was less about dogged political strategy than it was the national conversation on gay marriage.

"It's a campaign that's been promoted by Hollywood, by the news media, by educational institutions," said Scott Spear, a spokesman for the National Organization for Marriage's Rhode Island chapter. "I think the local group was just on that wave. They didn't create it, they just rode it."

Rhode Island will be the 10th state to allow gay marriage when the legislation takes effect Aug. 1. Supporters in Delaware and Illinois are also hoping to follow this year. Efforts are also underway in other states, including New Jersey, Oregon and Minnesota.

Polls show support has surged since 1996, when Gallup found that 27 percent of Americans backed same-sex marriage. Now Gallup finds that 53 percent support giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.

The momentum is clear in Rhode Island. Two years ago, gay marriage legislation didn't even get a vote in the General Assembly. This year, it passed the House 51-19 and the Senate 26-12.

"We are close to the end of a journey that began in 1997," said Ray Sullivan, campaign director for Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, which led the push for the legislation. "When we began this campaign in January, many thought we'd never succeed in the Senate."

The strategy that ultimately proved successful began two years ago after the previous significant effort to pass gay marriage fell apart. House Speaker Gordon Fox, who is gay, abandoned his push for gay marriage after it became obvious the legislation wouldn't pass the Senate, where Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed was a formidable opponent. It was a bitter defeat, and advocates vowed to focus on electing candidates who supported gay marriage in the 2012 elections.

Rather than court one-issue candidates, marriage advocates formed ties with the AFL-CIO, environmental activists, and other progressive groups. By teaming up, the coalition was able to pool their support for candidates with wider voter appeal ? and who also happened to support gay marriage. The strategy worked, and in November several new gay marriage supporters were elected to the House and, more significantly, the state Senate.

Encouraged by those gains, Fox vowed to hold a House vote on gay marriage in the first month of this year's legislative session. The bill's easy passage so early in the session allowed supporters to focus their attention on the Senate.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/TITNYNcLB48/Rhode-Island-s-marriage-equality-strategy-a-recipe-for-other-states

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TRAPPIST participated in the detection of ten percent of all transiting exoplanets known to date

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Among the many planets detected orbiting other stars (exoplanets) over the last twenty years, a little less than three hundred periodically pass in front of their star. This is what astronomers call a planetary transit. Exoplanets that "transit" their stars are key objects for the study of other planetary systems, because they are the only planets beyond our solar system that can be studied in detail, both in terms of their physical parameters (mass, radius, orbital parameters) and their atmospheric properties (thermal structure, dynamics, composition).

The University of Liege (ULg) is deeply involved in this exciting research topic, notably through its TRAPPIST[1] robotic telescope installed in 2010 in one of the best astronomical sites of the world, the La Silla European Southern Observatory in the Chilean Atacama desert. One of the scientific objectives of this telescope is the detection and study of exoplanets via the accurate measurement of their transits. In just three years, it has fully demonstrated its great potential in this area. Indeed, TRAPPIST participated in the detection of thirty planets, representing ten percent of all transiting exoplanets known to date. This important contribution is the result of the excellent expertise of the Liege astronomers, and their active collaboration with other international teams of "planet hunters," including the Swiss team of Professor Didier Queloz, co-discoverer of the first exoplanet in 1995.

Among the thirty exoplanets co-detected by TRAPPIST, most are gas giants similar to Jupiter, but in much closer orbits. "With the intense radiation that they undergo from their star, these planets are real gold mines for the study of other worlds," says Micha?l Gillon, Principal Investigator of the TRAPPIST exoplanets program. "Indeed, it makes possible a number of measurements that give us access to valuable information on their atmospheric properties. " TRAPPIST also detected the transit of a planet twice smaller than Jupiter orbiting a nearby star much less massive than the Sun. "The name of this small planet is GJ3470b" continues Micha?l Gillon, "and it has a mass and a size comparable to those of Uranus and Neptune, suggesting a composition rich in water ice. The detection of this planet much smaller than Jupiter is very exciting, not only for its own study, but also because it demonstrates that by focusing on even less massive stars, TRAPPIST should be able to detect rocky planets similar in size and mass to Earth. Our current projects go in that direction. "

Probably dreaming of other Earths too, TRAPPIST continues to observe the gorgeous Chilean sky night after night, to the delight of Liege astronomers that analyze its valuable data thirteen thousand kilometers away ...

[1] TRAPPIST stands for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Li?ge.

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Journal Reference:

1. M. Gillon, D. R. Anderson, A. Collier-Cameron, A. P. Doyle, A. Fumel, C. Hellier, E. Jehin, M. Lendl, P. F. L. Maxted, J. Montalban, F. Pepe, D. Pollacco, D. Queloz, D. Segransan, A. M. S. Smith, B. Smalley, J. Southworth, A. H. M. J. Triaud, S. Udry, R. G. West. WASP-64b and WASP-72b: two new transiting highly irradiated giant planets. Astronomy and Astrophysic, 2013 [link]

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/4DOSGoWcq2k/130425103237.htm

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