Pictures: Fungi Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Photograph courtesy Stephanie Mounaud, J. Craig Venter Institute

Mounaud combined different fungi to create a Santa hat and spell out a holiday message.

Different fungal grow at different rates, so Mounaud's artwork rarely lasts for long. There's only a short window of time when they actually look like what they're suppose to.

"You do have to keep that in perspective when you're making these creations," she said.

For example, the A. flavus fungi that she used to write this message from Santa grows very quickly. "The next day, after looking at this plate, it didn't say 'Ho Ho Ho.' It said 'blah blah blah,'" Mounaud said.

The message also eventually turned green, which was the color she was initially after. "It was a really nice green, which is what I was hoping for. But yellow will do," she said.

The hat was particularly challenging. The fungus used to create it "was troubling because at different temperatures it grows differently. The pigment in this one forms at room temperature but this type of growth needed higher temperatures," Mounaud said.

Not all fungus will grow nicely together. For example, in the hat, "N. fischeri [the brim and ball] did not want to play nice with the P. marneffei [red part of hat] ... so they remained slightly separated."

Published December 21, 2012

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Obama Says He Is 'Ready and Willing' to Get Deal

President Barack Obama says he is "ready and willing" to get a big package done to deal with the "fiscal cliff" and says there's no reason not to protect middle-class Americans from tax increases.

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

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Obama says he spoke Friday with House Speaker John Boehner and met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He says Congress should pass a plan to extend tax breaks for the middle class and extend unemployment benefits.

Obama says no one can get 100 percent of what they want and there are "real consequences" to how they deal with the across-the-board tax increases and steep spending cuts scheduled to kick in Jan. 1. Economists fear the combination could deliver a blow to the U.S. economy.

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Dollar steady as investors await fiscal cliff sign

WASHINGTON: The dollar lost a little bit of ground against the euro and was largely flat against the yen in quiet trade on Thursday as investors awaited a clear sign from US "fiscal cliff" talks.

The euro stood at $1.3241 towards 2200 GMT, up from $1.3226 late Wednesday. It also rose against the Japanese yen, reaching 111.72 yen compared to 111.59 yen a day earlier.

The dollar held steady against the yen, after reaching its highest level against the currency since April 2011 on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the greenback edged lower to 84.38 yen towards 2200 GMT from 84.39 yen a day earlier.

Japan's central bank unveiled more huge monetary easing earlier on Thursday in the wake of a weekend election won by the Liberal Democratic Party.

With an end-of-year deadline approaching, the markets are watching whether Washington can avert the so-called fiscal cliff, a mix of tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect in January that could plunge the world's biggest economy back into recession.

Analysts said remarks by top Republican John Boehner had sparked slight optimism, increasing investors' appetite for risk, for the euro among other things.

Talks between President Barack Obama and Boehner on averting the "fiscal cliff" have stalled amid accusations of political grandstanding on both sides.

In other currencies, the dollar slipped to 0.9115 Swiss francs, while the pound rose to $1.6280.

- AFP/fa

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Kerala high court permits naval guards to visit Italy for Christmas

KOCHI: The Kerala high court on Thursday allowed the two Italian naval guards, accused of fatally shooting two Indian fishermen close to the coast in the Arabian Sea on February 15, to visit Italy to be with their families for Christmas on a bank guarantee of Rs 6 crore (around $1.1 million). The shooting had triggered a major diplomatic stand-off between Indian and Italy, with the police beginning a murder inquiry against the two sailors who were part of the crew of oil tanker, MV Enrica Lexie.

Justice P Bhavadasan, who considered the petition by Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, held that it would be improper of the court to reject their petition after the Central government informed the court that undertakings given by the Italian ambassador and consul general may be given due consideration.

Italy's ambassador to India Giacomo Sanfelice and consul general Giampaolo Cutillo had provided sworn affidavits ensuring return of the naval guards after a two-week visit to Italy. The government also gave a letter to the court from the foreign minister of Italy, certifying that the two officials were authorized to provide such an undertaking.

Allowing the petition, the court held: "Denial of relief to the petitioners is easy. But this court must remind itself of the whole issue. If the Union of India is of the view that after considering the various aspects and interests involved, the undertakings given to this court are sufficient guarantee to ensure that the petitioners will return to India as directed by this court, it may not be proper for this court to hold otherwise."

Dismissing the state government's contention that the motive of the petitioners was suspect, the court noted that it is for the Union of India to consider the acceptability and reliability of the undertakings and it will not be proper for the court to impose its view as those aspects fall within the realm of executive function. The case is not just regarding the presence of the naval guards for trial but, crucially, the relationship between two nations, the judge observed.

The court has asked the Italian government to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 6 crore and as well as provide undertakings by the ambassador and consul general to ensure return of the naval guards on January 10 next year. The court also asked the Centre to issue the necessary travel documents if the undertakings were satisfactory to them.

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Hollies Get Prickly for a Reason

With shiny evergreen leaves and bright red berries, holly trees are a naturally festive decoration seen throughout the Christmas season.

They're famously sharp. But not all holly leaves are prickly, even on the same tree. And scientists now think they know how the plants are able to make sharper leaves, seemingly at will. (Watch a video about how Christmas trees are made.)

A new study published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society suggests leaf variations on a single tree are the combined result of animals browsing on them and the trees' swift molecular response to that sort of environmental pressure.

Carlos Herrera of the National Research Council of Spain led the study in southeastern Spain. He and his team investigated the European holly tree, Ilex aquifolium. Hollies, like other plants, can make different types of leaves at the same time. This is called heterophylly. Out of the 40 holly trees they studied, 39 trees displayed different kinds of leaves, both prickly and smooth.

Five holly leaves from the same tree.

Photographs by Emmanuel Lattes, Alamy

Some trees looked like they had been browsed upon by wild goats and deer. On those trees, the lower 8 feet (2.5 meters) had more prickly leaves, while higher up the leaves tended to be smooth. Scientists wanted to figure out how the holly trees could make the change in leaf shape so quickly.

All of the leaves on a tree are genetic twins and share exactly the same DNA sequence. By looking in the DNA for traces of a chemical process called methylation, which modifies DNA but doesn't alter the organism's genetic sequence, the team could determine whether leaf variation was a response to environmental or genetic changes. They found a relationship between recent browsing by animals, the growth of prickly leaves, and methylation.

"In holly, what we found is that the DNA of prickly leaves was significantly less methylated than prickless leaves, and from this we inferred that methylation changes are ultimately responsible for leaf shape changes," Herrera said. "The novelty of our study is that we show that these well-known changes in leaf type are associated with differences in DNA methylation patterns, that is, epigenetic changes that do not depend on variation in the sequence of DNA."

"Heterophylly is an obvious feature of a well-known species, and this has been ascribed to browsing. However, until now, no one has been able to come up with a mechanism for how this occurs," said Mike Fay, chief editor of the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society and head of genetics at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. "With this new study, we are now one major step forward towards understanding how."

Epigenetic changes take place independently of variation in the genetic DNA sequence. (Read more about epigenetics in National Geographic magazine's "A Thing or Two About Twins.")

"This has clear and important implications for plant conservation," Herrera said. In natural populations that have their genetic variation depleted by habitat loss, the ability to respond quickly, without waiting for slower DNA changes, could help organisms survive accelerated environmental change. The plants' adaptability, he says, is an "optimistic note" amidst so many conservation concerns. (Related: "Wild Holly, Mistletoe, Spread With Warmer Winters.")

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Obama, Boehner Not Far Apart on 'Cliff'? Not Really

Dec 20, 2012 5:09pm

Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo; Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

There are some in Washington and around Capitol Hill who keep saying that House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama really aren’t that far apart on the “fiscal cliff” and there will be a deal despite Boehner’s proposal to hold a vote on his “Plan B.”

Let’s deconstruct the two parts of that thinking.

Boehner and Obama really aren’t that far apart?

Not really.

The differences are more significant than just tax rates.  Republicans say the Democratic offer is really $800 billion in spending cuts and $1.3 trillion in tax increases.  That is because the inflation adjustment applies to tax rates* as well as Social Security — resulting in less than $100 billion in added tax revenues.

Democrats count that as a spending cut.  Republicans say that is a tax hike.  So the real difference, from their perspective, is $450 billion.  The $400,000 vs. $1 million threshold for tax rates hikes is just one part of this.  Republicans want more spending cuts and fewer tax increases.

Related: Read More About the Fiscal Cliff

Obama and Senate Democrats are fond of saying they are this close (fingers close together).  They say Boehner should just accept the president’s offer.

But, as I asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., earlier today: If you are this close why not just accept Boehner’s offer?  He dodged, saying that Boehner’s offer wasn’t really an offer and likened him to Lucy and the football — you’ll recall the routine in which the “Peanuts” character would pull away the ball at the last second and leave Charlie Brown kicking at nothing but air.

Both sides like to talk about Lucy and the football, but that is another story.  Will there be a deal?

They should be able to do a deal.  I know where the deal should be.  So do you.  But, really, they aren’t quite as close as the nifty charts like this one from the Washington Post suggest. And this is about much more than the $400,000 tax-rate threshold.

*By lowering the government’s calculation for inflation, the income level for the top rates would rise at a slower rate, putting more and more people into the top rates.

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Fundraising starts up soon after election, filings show

Election Day marks the end of a political campaign. It also marks the beginning of fundraising for the next campaign.

Federal disclosure filings show that plenty of money was flowing through Washington immediately following Nov. 6. The most active political action committee in the weeks after the election belonged to the U.S. subsidiary of Swiss banking giant UBS AG. The company gave $122,000 in the three weeks following Election Day, the latest period for which information is available.

UBS has been ramping up its political giving in the past few years at the time that it has been sharply criticized, and even penalized, in Washington. UBS announced Wednesday that it has agreed to pay a $1.5 billion settlement with the U.S., British and Swiss governments for trying to manipulate a key interest rate used for price borrowing around the world.

The bank’s $122,000 in contributions from Nov. 7 through Nov. 26 are more than twice the $51,500 given by the second-most-active PAC, belonging to the Credit Union National Association. Other top PACs included those of Verizon, which gave $47,500, and General Electric, which gave $32,500.

The UBS PAC favored Democrats, giving $26,000 to 10 party members of the House Financial Services Committee, including Reps. Gregory W. Meeks (N.Y.) and Michael E. Capuano (Mass.).

A few lawmakers sought to draw in contributions for recounts and to retire debt from the campaign. But the most prolific fundraiser in the House, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), appeared to be getting a head start on 2014 before her Nov. 26 announcement that she would challenge Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D) in what’s expected to be one of the tightest Senate contests in two years.

Capito raised $146,000 in the weeks after Election Day, almost all of it from corporate PACs, including more than $100,000 on the day she announced her bid. Four PACs gave Capito the maximum $10,000 donation: the Credit Union National Association, the National Beer Wholesalers Association, the American Bankers Association, and FirstEnergy Corp., which provides power to most of her home state.

Kent Gates, a political adviser to Capito, said that the congresswoman has stepped up fundraising throughout the cycle in anticipation of pursuing the Senate seat.

Several in the incoming class of senators wasted no time in setting up a “leadership PAC,” a fund that allows them to accept political money that they can give to other lawmakers or use for political or personal expenses. Sens.-elect Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Timothy M. Kaine (D-Va.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Heidi Heitcamp (D-N.D.) have all created leadership PACs.

Leadership PACs were so named because they were first created by leaders in both parties to support allied lawmakers, building allegiances within their caucuses and helping to secure the votes needed for plum leadership posts and chairmanships. But in recent years, lawmakers further and further down the totem pole have begun forming the committees, making the political PAC into a standard accoutrement for any aspiring Hill power player.

Several House candidates created leadership PACs even before the election, including Republicans Ron DeSantis (Fla.), Ann Wagner (Mo.) and Roger Williams (Tex.).

Rep.-elect Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), already in tune with trends in PAC nomenclature, formed the Defense, Economic Renewal, Education and Knowledge PAC, or Derek PAC, on Oct. 2, a full month before he was elected to the seat of retiring Rep. Norm Dicks (D).

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US dollar strengthens against yen in nervous trade

NEW YORK: The US dollar strengthened against the yen and slipped slightly against the euro on Wednesday in nervous trade as talks over how to avert the US 'fiscal cliff' dragged on.

The dollar rose against the yen, reaching 84.39 yen towards 2300 GMT, down slightly from 84.62 earlier in the day - its highest level in 20 months. Late Tuesday, it finished at 84.19.

The euro stood at $1.3226 towards 2300 GMT, compared to $1.3225 late Tuesday. Earlier, it had reached its highest level in eight and a half months at $1.3308.

Boris Schlossberg of BK Asset Management said investors were disappointed by the lack of movement in protracted talks between US President Barack Obama and Republicans on a long-term deficit deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" crisis of sweeping tax hikes and spending cuts.

The euro was up against the Japanese currency at 111.59 yen, after reaching its highest level in 16 months - 112.50 yen - in earlier trade. Late Tuesday, it stood at 111.35 yen.

Japan's incoming prime minister Shinzo Abe, whose Liberal Democratic Party swept to an electoral victory in elections on Sunday, has vowed to step up pressure on the central bank for more aggressive action to boost the economy.

The hawkish LDP head wants the bank to set a two percent inflation target as part of a goal to drag Japan out of the deflationary spiral that has haunted it for years.

In other currencies, the dollar rose to 0.9133 Swiss francs, while the pound slipped to $1.6245.

- AFP/de

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Himachal Pradesh assembly elections 2012: Neck-and-neck contest predicted

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh is all set to decide its political future with counting scheduled on Thursday. The poll fight, which began on November 4 with a record turnout, seems to be a neck-and-neck contest between the ruling BJP government and the Congress party.

Since the assembly elections 46 days ago, candidates have been trying to determine voters' mood. While the Congress appears confident of showing BJP the door, the ruling party seems to be banking on anti-UPA mood due to a number of factors like the LPG and diesel price hike and reduction in number of subsidized cylinders.

Though both the parties are confident of winning conformably, post-poll surveys suggest a tight fight.

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Detecting Rabid Bats Before They Bite

A picture is worth a thousand words—or in the case of bats, a rabies diagnosis. A new study reveals that rabid bats have cooler faces compared to uninfected colony-mates. And researchers are hopeful that thermal scans of bat faces could improve rabies surveillance in wild colonies, preventing outbreaks that introduce infections into other animals—including humans.

Bats are a major reservoir for the rabies virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Previous research shows that bats can transmit their strains to other animals, potentially putting people at risk. (Popular Videos: Bats share the screen with creepy co-stars.)

Rabies, typically transmitted in saliva, targets the brain and is almost always fatal in animals and people if left untreated. No current tests detect rabies in live animals—only brain tissue analysis is accurate.

Searching for a way to detect the virus in bats before the animals died, rabies specialist James Ellison and his colleagues at the CDC turned to a captive colony of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Previous studies had found temperature increases in the noses of rabid raccoons, so the team expected to see similar results with bats.

Researchers established normal temperature ranges for E. fuscus—the bat species most commonly sent for rabies testing—then injected 24 individuals with the virus. The 21-day study monitored facial temperatures with infrared cameras, and 13 of the 21 bats that developed rabies showed temperature drops of more than 4ºC.

"I was surprised to find the bats' faces were cooler because rabies causes inflammation—and that creates heat," said Ellison. "No one has done this before with bats," he added, and so researchers aren't sure what's causing the temperature changes they've discovered in the mammals. (Related: "Bats Have Superfast Muscles—A Mammal First.")

Although thermal scans didn't catch every instance of rabies in the colony, this method may be a way to detect the virus in bats before symptoms appear. The team plans to fine-tune their measurements of facial temperatures, and then Ellison hopes to try surveillance in the field.

This study was published online November 9 in Zoonoses and Public Health.

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