Radioactivity of the lunar surface

Diffusion of radon and thoron from the Ilunar surface provides a mechanism for production of a radioactive surface layer on the moon. If the radon and thoron flux from the lunar surface is equal to that measured at the earth's surface, the equilibrium activity of this surface layet is estimated as approximately 1 microcurie per square meter, due to radon and its decay products. This activity consists of alpha particles and gamnmna rays at well-defined energies and of beta rays.     

A single IGF1 allele is a major determinant of small size in dogs

The domestic dog exhibits greater diversity in body size than any other terrestrial vertebrate. We used a strategy that exploits the breed structure of dogs to investigate the genetic basis of size. First, through a genome-wide scan, we identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 15 influencing size variation within a single breed. Second, we examined genetic variation in the 15-megabase interval surrounding the QTL in small and giant breeds and found marked evidence for a selective sweep spanning a single gene (IGF1), encoding insulin-like growth factor 1. A single IGF1 single-nucleotide polymorphism haplotype is common to all small breeds and nearly absent from giant breeds, suggesting that the same causal sequence variant is a major contributor to body size in all small dogs.     

Triallelic inheritance in Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a Mendelian recessive disorder

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by multiple clinical features that include pigmentary retinal dystrophy, polydactyly, obesity, developmental delay, and renal defects. BBS is considered an autosomal recessive disorder, and recent positional cloning efforts have identified two BBS genes (BBS2 and BBS6). We screened our cohort of 163 BBS families for mutations in both BBS2 and BBS6 and report the presence of three mutant alleles in affected individuals in four pedigrees. In addition, we detected unaffected individuals in two pedigrees who carry two BBS2 mutations but not a BBS6 mutation. We therefore propose that BBS may not be a single-gene recessive disease but a complex trait requiring three mutant alleles to manifest the phenotype. This triallelic model of disease transmission may be important in the study of both Mendelian and multifactorial disorders.     

A theropod dinosaur embryo and the affinities of the flaming cliffs dinosaur eggs

An embryonic skeleton of a nonavian theropod dinosaur was found preserved in an egg from Upper Cretaceous rocks in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Cranial features identify the embryo as a member of Oviraptoridae. Two embryo-sized skulls of dromaeosaurids, similar to that of Velociraptor, were also recovered in the nest. The eggshell microstructure is similar to that of ratite birds and is of a type common in the Djadokhta Formation at the Flaming Cliffs (Bayn Dzak). Discovery of a nest of such eggs at the Flaming Cliffs in 1923, beneath the Oviraptor philoceratops holotype, suggests that this dinosaur may have been a brooding adult.     

Parallel supercomputing today and the cedar approach

More and more scientists and engineers are becoming interested in using supercomputers. Earlier barriers to using these machines are disappearing as software for their use improves. Meanwhile, new parallel supercomputer architectures are emerging that may provide rapid growth in performance. These systems may use a large number of processors with an intricate memory system that is both parallel and hierarchical; they will require even more advanced software. Compilers that restructure user programs to exploit the machine organization seem to be essential. A wide range of algorithms and applications is being developed in an effort to provide high parallel processing performance in many fields. The Cedar supercomputer, presently operating with eight processors in parallel, uses advanced system and applications software developed at the University of Illinois during the past 12 years. This software should allow the number of processors in Cedar to be doubled annually, providing rapid performance advances in the next decade.