Scientist names new fly species after the professor who has supported his work

A professor from The University of Manchester has had his name immortalised as a new species of fly

2013-08-12

(Press-News.org) A Professor from The University of Manchester has had his name immortalised as a new species of fly.

Professor Richard Preziosi, from the Faculty of Life Sciences, said he was delighted with the unusual tribute from researcher Dr. Dave Penney.

It follows his continued support of Dr. Penney's unfunded research into amber rocks which he has been investigating for around 20 years.

Dr. Penney discovered the new species of fly, which he has named Proceroplatus preziosii, on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, after finding a fossil in 16 million-year-old amber from the Dominican Republic. His findings were confirmed by Dr. Neal Evenhuis, of the Bishop Museum in Hawaii, who is the leading world expert on this group. The species is a tiny gnat just a few millimetres long belonging to the Keroplatidae family.

Professor Preziosi said: "I am delighted and honoured to have this newly discovered species named after me. It has been a real privilege to be able to support Dr. Penney's research and to be associated with his discoveries of this unique aspect of biodiversity."

Dr. Penney, who has previously discovered approximately 40 new species of insects and spiders and has had two species named after him, said: "The fossil represents the first record of Keroplatidae from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It led us to predict the presence of these flies in the living fauna on the island. After a study we found the species living there.

"I wanted to thank Professor Preziosi, who has support me through out my research career at Manchester, and thought this would be a novel way to do this!"

The discovery is published in the journal Zootaxa.

INFORMATION:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Sense of smell: The nose and the brain make quite a team... in disconnection

2013-08-12

Alan Carleton's team from the Neuroscience Department at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) Faculty of Medicine has just shown that the representation of an odor evolves after the first breath, and that an olfactory retentivity persists at the central level. The phenomenon is comparable to what occurs in other sensory systems, such as vision or hearing. These movements undoubtedly enable the identification of new odors in complex environments or participate in the process of odor memorization. This research is the subject of a publication in the latest online edition of the ...

Cosmology in the lab using laser-cooled ions

2013-08-12

This news release is available in German. Scientists would love to know which forces created our universe some 14 billion years ago. How could – due to a breaking of symmetry – matter, and thus stars and galaxies, be created from an originally symmetrical universe in which the same conditions prevailed everywhere shortly after the Big Bang. Now, the Big Bang is an experiment that cannot be repeated. But the principle of symmetry and its disturbance can definitely be investigated under controlled laboratory conditions. For this purpose, scientists from the Excellence ...

Changes to symptom structure in DSM-5 support diagnosis of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder

2013-08-12

Washington D.C., August 12, 2013 – A study published in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry demonstrates support for the changes in autism symptom structure for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD found in the newly released Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)). Using a sample of 237 toddlers (aged 12-30 months) diagnosed with ASD by expert clinicians, a group of researchers from Florida State University (FSU), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and ...

Obesity and mortality association differs between individuals with and without diabetes

2013-08-12

The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality appears to be stronger in adults without diabetes than those with existing diabetes. These findings¹ are published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine² in a study by Chandra Jackson of the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues. The researchers suggest that studies on body weight and mortality should take into account the impact of diabetes status in the population. In their analysis, Jackson's team used data from a nationally representative sample of 74,710 Black and White American adults between ...

Research examines masculinity and sexuality in sport

2013-08-12

Preliminary research out of the University of Cincinnati is providing a rare look at the construction of masculinity on the covers of mainstream and gay-themed sports magazines. The research by Jodi Stooksberry and J. A. Carter, both doctoral students in the UC Department of Sociology, was presented at the 108th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in New York, N.Y. Stooksberry and Carter did a comparative analysis of two sports magazines: Sports Illustrated, one of the nation's most recognized mainstream sports magazines, and Compete. Published out ...

New clue on the origin of Huntington's disease

2013-08-12

The synapses in the brain act as key communication points between approximately one hundred billion neurons. They form a complex network connecting various centres in the brain through electrical impulses. New research from Lund University suggests that it is precisely here, in the synapses, that Huntington's disease might begin. The researchers at Lund University looked into the brains of mice with real-time imaging methods, following some of the very first stages of the disease through advanced microscopes. What they discovered was an unprecedented degradation of synaptic ...

Research examines hip-hop and social movement

2013-08-12

Todd Callais, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati's Blue Ash College, is one of the select sociologists from across the world to be named to present at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. Professor Callais' presentation, Music and Social Movements: Historical Hip-Hop Participation Frames and Modern Rap as Social Movement Participation, explores the evolution of hip-hop from party music into a political platform. Callais focused on this particular music industry because of its impact on society and because there is a clear ...

Metabolic 'fingerprinting' of tumors could help bowel cancer patients

2013-08-12

It is possible to see how advanced a bowel cancer is by looking at its metabolic 'fingerprint', according to new research. Bowel cancer is the third most common type of cancer globally, with over one million new cases diagnosed every year. Accurately determining the stage that a tumour has reached is crucial for deciding which treatments to offer. Metabolic fingerprinting looks at the levels of many different metabolites, which are the products of chemical reactions in the body's cells, in a sample of blood, urine or tissue. This mix of metabolites alters as cancer ...

Research explores the 'cultural mythologies' of pregnancy

2013-08-12

Morning sickness, shiny hair and bizarre and intense cravings for pickles and ice cream -- what expectations do pregnant women impose on their bodies, and how are those expectations influenced by cultural perspectives on pregnancy? University of Cincinnati researcher Danielle Bessett, an assistant professor of sociology, presented her research at the 108th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in New York, N.Y. Although previous surveys have indicated that women turn to medical sources to find out what to expect when they're expecting, Bessett's research, ...

From my living room to yours: Research examines race and social media discussions

2013-08-12

Discussions surrounding race and racism are prevalent in an online community in which users can hide their own race, gender and any other identifying information. Russell Spiker, a doctoral student in the University of Cincinnati's Department of Sociology, will presented his research at the 108th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in New York, N.Y. Spiker's presentation, "From My Living Room to Yours: A Grounded Theory of Typology of Racial Discussions on YouTube.com," examined English-language comments posted from YouTube's top 10 most viewed videos ...

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Scientist names new fly species after the professor who has supported his work

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: