(Press-News.org) Researchers who transplanted combinations of wild, domesticated, and domesticated-wild hybridized populations of a fish species to new environments found that within 5 to 11 generations, selection could remove introduced foreign genes from wild populations that hybridized with domesticated populations.
The Evolutionary Applications study provides evidence that natural selection, over time, removes the adaptive advantages that hybridized populations experience as a result of increased genetic diversity.
"The results may be useful for policy makers who classify the protection status or management practices for hybridized populations," said senior author Dr. Dylan Fraser. "They also provide hope for wild populations currently displaying negative effects as a result of human-mediated hybridization with domesticated species."
INFORMATION:
How are hybridized species affecting wildlife?
2014-09-15
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
When casualties increased, war coverage became more negative
2014-09-15
As the number of U.S. casualties rose in Afghanistan, reporters filed more stories about the conflict and those articles grew increasingly negative about both the war effort and the military, according to a Penn State researcher. "When the war in Afghanistan started, the tone of the stories that reporters filed was generally neutral," said Michel Haigh, associate professor of communications. "However, over time, and as casualties increased, the coverage became more negative." In 2003, as the media began to focus more on the conflict in Iraq, reporters wrote less than 20 ...
If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands?
2014-09-15
There is no published account where hippopotamuses are demonstrably shown swimming or floating at the surface of any body of water. But if they can't swim, how did they reach and colonize islands?
Experts say that widely accepted models for the methods, patterns, and timing of the colonization and dispersal to several islands (e.g. Cyprus, Crete, and Madagascar) may need to be reconsidered.
"Although land bridge connections between these islands and the mainland are not currently supported by positive geological evidence, neither is there any contradictory evidence ...
People are attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs
2014-09-15
A new study reveals that people find the smell of others with similar political opinions to be attractive, suggesting that one of the reasons why so many spouses share similar political views is because they were initially and subconsciously attracted to each other's body odor.
During the study, 146 participants rated the attractiveness of the body odor of unknown strong liberals and strong conservatives, without ever seeing the individuals whose smells they were evaluating.
"People could not predict the political ideology of others by smell if you asked them, but they ...
Habitual Facebook users: Suckers for social media scams?
2014-09-15
A new study finds that habitual use of Facebook makes individuals susceptible to social media phishing attacks by criminals, likely because they automatically respond to requests without considering how they are connected with those sending the requests, how long they have known them, or who else is connected with them.
Predictors of habitual use of Facebook include frequent interactions with the platform, a large number of friend connections, and individuals' inability to regulate their social media consumption.
"Social media phishing is the attack vector of choice ...
Cost-share programs encourage most to mitigate wildfire danger
2014-09-15
Most homeowners are willing to take part in cost-sharing that helps pay for wildfire risk mitigation on their properties, but some of those with the highest wildfire risk are the least likely to participate in those programs, according to a collaborative study by the University of Colorado Boulder and partnering institutions.
Past studies have shown that people who think their properties are vulnerable to wildfires are more open to taking actions that lower the risk, like clearing vegetation around their homes to create a defensible space.
In the new study, published ...
Does having daughters cause judges to rule for women's issues?
2014-09-15
Judges with daughters consistently vote in a more feminist fashion on gender issues than judges who have only sons, and the effect appears to be driven primarily by Republican judges.
The findings are based on data on the families of 224 judges sitting on the US Courts of Appeals, as well as nearly 1,000 gender-related cases decided by these judges.
The American Journal of Political Science study reveals that personal experiences influence how judges make decisions, and that empathy may indeed be a component in how judges decide cases.
INFORMATION: END ...
Poverty-obesity link is more prevalent for women than men, study shows
2014-09-15
AUSTIN, Texas — Adolescent girls living in economically disadvantaged families are more likely than their male counterparts to become overweight or obese, according to new research from The University of Texas at Austin.
The study, published online this month in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, shows long-lasting consequences of economic hardship in childhood for the risk of obesity in adulthood. The findings emphasize the need for programs and policies addressing the adverse health effects of socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood and adolescence, says Tetyana ...
Small algae with great potential
2014-09-15
In an unprecedented evolution experiment scientists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries have demonstrated for the first time, that the single most important calcifying algae of the world's oceans, Emiliania huxleyi, can adapt simultaneously to ocean acidification and rising water temperatures. In their study, the researchers found no evidence for the widespread idea that evolutionary adaptations to these two aspects of climate change would interfere with each other.
"Even though the experiment was conducted under ...
Blood test for VEGF-A, TGF-B1 could help determine treatment options for esophageal cancer patients
2014-09-15
San Francisco, September 14, 2014—A blood test may be beneficial in indicating neoadjuvant treatment regimens for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 56th Annual Meeting. Results of a nine-year study of patients undergoing concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CCRT) for esophageal cancer show that levels of two proteins found in the body, vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), indicate patients' ...
Shorter course of ADT for high-risk prostate cancer patients yields improved quality of life
2014-09-15
San Francisco, September 14, 2014—High-risk prostate cancer patients who receive radiation therapy (RT) and an 18-month course of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) recover a normal testosterone level in a shorter amount of time compared to those who receive a 36-month course of ADT, thus resulting in a better quality of life (QOL) and without detriment to long-term outcomes, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 56th Annual Meeting.
Researchers analyzed data from 561 patients with high-risk prostate cancer from ...