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Issue 106, Volume 75
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Ecology puzzle finally solved Group of research students stumble upon missing link to science principle J
By Michelle Reed THE DAILY COUGAR The missing link to a 163-yearold ecological puzzle has been discovered by a group of UH researchers, and scientists are now able to put the pieces together and make sense of the mystery that is Bergmann’s rule, which dates back to 1840s. Chuan-Kai Ho, who holds a UH doctorate in ecology and evolution, and UH professor of biology and biochemistry Steven Pennings came upon the discovery. Ho studied latitudinal variation in plantherbivore interactions in Pennings’ lab, which Ho focused on in his sixyear dissertation. While writing his dissertation, Ho stumbled upon Bergmann’s rule, which states that animal and insect body mass correlates with
the temperature of the area that they inhabit. Ho determined this was partially correct, but was also determined by nutrition and the taste of the plants insects eat. “We don’t disagree with the idea that temperature can affect body size,” Pennings said via e-mail. “But our results suggest that other factors can also be important. We found that a diet of high-latitude plants produced a larger body size than a diet of low-latitude plants. The reason was that the high-latitude plants were more nutritious. “This explanation might not apply to all possible species, but it could apply to many species, and so would suggest a new avenue of research into Bergmann’s rule,” he said. The team of researchers on the study, including Ho and Pennings,
TRAVIS HENSLEY THE DAILY COUGAR
Pomp and circumstance: sign here
S
pring 2010 graduates got the opportunity to purchase their gowns, caps and tassels and sign up for class rings during the graduation fair on Wednesday at the UH Bookstore.
see PUZZLE, page 3
Flash mob surprises onlookers
Research grant allots $2.6 million Appropriation will allow professors to continue work on studies J
By Kendra Bergund THE DAILY COUGAR Imagine being on your way to class somewhere near the Ezekiel W. Cullen Building only to discover about 100 students fighting. That is exactly what happened Wednesday. The Student Program Board organized a flash mob Wednesday where a red ninja and a black ninja split students into teams and fought each other. Students found out about the flash mob by way of Facebook. On the event page, there were specific instructions for how the flash mob would happen. For those who missed out, it left many students both excited and confused. The ninjas arrived outside the PGH breezeway at noon; immediately following their arrival, students approached the ninjas saying, “I accept the mission.” The ninjas then passed out little pieces of paper with further instruction. At 12:20 p.m., the ninjas called all the students to follow them. Nearly 100 students filed their
By Wyshanda Sennett THE DAILY COUGAR
KENDRA BERGLUND THE DAILY COUGAR
The Student Program Board gave students a chance to release their inner ninja Wednesday during their annual flash mob. way from the PGH to the Charles F. McElhinney building. The students separated into their appropriate ninja groups where the black ninja laid down some ground rules. Although the ninjas would be fighting, neither physical contact nor props were allowed for safety reasons. After the two groups met in front of the McElhinney building,
they parted ways and each group marched toward the E. Cullen building where the red ninja and black ninja stood in front of the fountains with their respective group behind them. They stared at each other for 20 seconds, bowed, struck a ninja pose – and that’s when the chaos began. see NINJA, page 3
Two UH College of Pharmacy faculty researchers received $2.6 million in awards from the National Institute of Health for their research in obesity and hypertension. Tahir Hussain received $1.6 million for his project that aims to understand receptors in hyperglycemia and the treatment of hypertension associated with obesity and diabetes. Ming Hu received $1.05 million for his project that aims to improve bioavailability. Hussain said this project has been his interest since he came to Houston. He wanted to work on the role of kidneys in hypertension. His project research includes the effects angiotensin type 2 receptors have on diabetes and hypertension. Hussain said that the ReninAngiotensin system is a molecular system in the body that regulates cardiovascular function and blood
pressure, which affects the heart, kidney and other organs. He said there are good and bad components in the RAS. “In general, bad guys dominate, and if they aren’t regulated, they cause disease; especially kidney disease, heart disease and hypertension,” Hussain said. “But in this system, there are some good guys, and they are small.” Hussain’s idea was to equally and selectively activate the good components. During his research he found that the AT2 receptor is expressed in diabetes. Hussain said that his initial data provided him a clue that showed him AT2 affects the kidney function and the blood pressure. He proposed the funding to find out how it affects the kidney functions and blood pressure. He said this project would lead to the development of a target for treating diabetes and hypertension. The project is funded for five years, and Hussain said that in this time he should continue significantly in the field, and from there he will know which direction see PHARMACY, page 3