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Friday, January 6 2012

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ISU scientist helps find structure of gene-editing protein named Method of the Year

In the two and a half years since Adam Bogdanove of ISU and colleagues discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA. The research is now in the journals Science and Nature.

Gentile cites positive, negative effects of video games on the brain in Nature Reviews article

Douglas Gentile, an Iowa State associate professor of psychology, cites positive and negative effects of video games on the brain in a new article he coauthored in the December issue of Nature Reviews/Neuroscience. In the "Brains on video games" article, six experts shed light on the current understanding of the ways in which playing video games can affect cognition and behavior.

Astronomers, Iowa State’s Kawaler discover planets that survived their star’s expansion

Iowa State University's Steve Kawaler has helped a research team use data from NASA's Kepler Mission to discover two Earth-sized planets that survived their star's red-giant expansion. The discovery is published in the Dec. 22 edition of the journal Nature.

ISU researchers poised to help unlock mysteries of medicinal benefits of plants

Iowa State University researchers Eve Syrkin Wurtele, professor in the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, and Basil Nikolau, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, together with colleagues at institutions around the country, have developed resources that may lead to discovery of new, medicinally important compounds found in plants. The research grew out of a $6 million National Institutes of Health initiative to study how the genes of plants contribute to production of various chemical compounds, some of which are medicinally important.

President Geoffroy will be honored with CASE Chief Executive Leadership Award

Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy will receive the 2012 Chief Executive Leadership Award from CASE (the Council for Advancement and Support of Education) District VI at its annual conference Jan. 9 in Denver.