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[center]Note:  The next issue of Science Current Events will appear in mid-April.[/center] [center]If this gets cut off before the end (as sometimes happens in these forums), you can find the whole thing [url=http://www.msb-science.com/ScienceNews/Science-Current-Events-2017Mar12.pdf]here[/url]. [/center] [center][url=http://www.msb-science.com/ScienceNews/Science-Current-Events-2017Mar12.pdf][/url][url=http://www.msb-science.com/ScienceNews/Science-Current-Events-2017Mar12.pdf]http://www.msb-science.com/ScienceNews/Science-Current-Events-2017Mar12.pdf[/url][/center] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif] [/font][/size][/color] [b][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif][color=black] [/color][/font][/size][/color][/b] [b][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif][color=black]Life Science[/color][/font][/size][/color][/b] [i][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]Five new synthetic yeast chromosomes assembled[/font][/size][/color][/i] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif] [/font][/size][/color] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]A large, international research team has built five new synthetic yeast chromosomes, meaning that 30 percent of a key organism's genetic material has now been swapped out for engineered replacements.  Like computer programmers, scientists add swaths of synthetic DNA to -- or remove stretches from -- human, plant, bacterial, or yeast chromosomes in hopes of averting disease, manufacturing medicines, or making food more nutritious.[/font][/size][/color] [url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170309142335.htm][color=#33aab8][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170309142335.htm[/font][/size][/color][/url][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]                         [/font][/size][/color] [b][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif][color=black] [/color][/font][/size][/color][/b] [b][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif][color=black] [/color][/font][/size][/color][/b] [b][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif][color=black]Earth Science [/color][/font][/size][/color][/b] [i][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]Earth’s mantle may be hotter than previously thought [/font][/size][/color][/i] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif] [/font][/size][/color] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]The mantle may be hotter than previously believed.  At first, laboratory simulations of the mantle seemed to differ from the results of another approach called magnetotellurics -- a technique that analyzes the electrical conductivity of the crust and mantle under the seafloor.  Molten rock conducts electricity much more than solid rock, and using magnetotelluric data, geophysicists can produce an image showing where melting is occurring in the mantle.  A magnetotelluric analysis published in 2013 showed that mantle rock was melting at a deeper depth under the sea floor than recent experimental data suggests.  So, the experimental results and the magnetotelluric observations seemed to conflict.  However, the discrepancy disappears if the oceanic upper mantle is 60°C (108°F) hotter than previous estimates.  A 60-degree increase may not sound like a lot compared to a molten mantle temperature of more than 1,400°C, but the result is significant.  For example, a hotter mantle would be more fluid, helping to explain the movement of rigid tectonic plates.  The new finding could change how scientists think about many issues in earth science including how ocean basins form, the movement of tectonic plates, and even provide more insight into the formation of our planet.[/font][/size][/color] [url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170302143829.htm][color=#33aab8][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170302143829.htm[/font][/size][/color][/url][color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]                  [/font][/size][/color] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif] [/font][/size][/color] [color=#575655][size=2][font='Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif] [/font][/size][/color] [color=#575655][color=black]Climate Change [/color][/color]

Thanks for sharing! These articles are fascinating for students to know that science is still changing. What we know is still only a fraction of what is out there. This will help students to see science as a dynamic field.