F Fluorine

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of online exclusives about natural phenomena and human endeavors we'd like to see come to an end. They are connected with the September 2010 special issue of Scientific American called " The End ".

Mosquitoes that carry the Plasmodium parasite cause some 300 million cases of malaria every year, claiming one million lives. That's a lot of carnage generated by an insect smaller than a pinky fingernail--but if enterprising researchers have their way, their blood-thirsty assault won't continue much longer. Here are some of the most promising strategies for wiping out malaria-carrying mosquitoes:

Editor's Note: Students from Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering are working in Tanzania to help improve sanitation and energy technologies in local villages. The student-led group , known as Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Projects (HELP), will file dispatches from the field during their trip. This is their fourth blog post for Scientific American. [More]



Dartmouth College - Tanzania - Thayer School of Engineering - United States - Energy

What if the brainpower used playing video games could be channeled toward something more productive, such as helping scientists solve complex biological problems?

Welcome to "The End," at least as we know it. The features here, from the September 2010 issue , cover a range of topics, such as the decomposition of human flesh, the disappearance of cultures, the Earth's remaining natural resources, and apocalypse scenarios.

You will also find links to our exclusive digital offerings as they go live, including an interactive, rich-media feature, as well as links to interviews about the issue on public radio's The Takeaway . Tell us what you think using the comments section below.

The Changing Arctic Landscape by Ken D. Tape. University of Alaska Press, 2010 [More]



University of Alaska Press - Alaska - United States - Education - Colleges and Universities

We are always telling stories about the world, the universe, ourselves. It helps to make sense of things. But sometimes, through familiarity or neglect, we get lost. We forget where a story really starts, losing sight of where it’s headed. What is biodiversity? Are electric cars new? Even the well-worn tale of human origins is missing a key chapter: how a small band of hunter-gatherers survived a climate disaster, becoming ancestors of us all. Here we provide the surprising origins of some strange and familiar things.

All In The Family [More]



Hunter-gatherer - Biodiversity - Human evolution - Fiction - Arts

Like a burglar with a universal lock pick, many deadly pathogens use the same protein to gain access to the cells of a potential host , researchers have discovered. The new findings could have implications for blocking infections by agents ranging from wheat rust to malaria. [More]



Pathogen - Infection - Wheat - Malaria - Protein

An estimated one million people die each year from malaria , a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquitoes. Current control strategies involve blasting the bugs with insecticides, or using drugs to kill the parasite once it infects humans. Unfortunately, these methods are becoming less effective as both pests evolve ways to resist the toxic treatments, so new methods to prevent malaria are sorely needed. In recent years scientists have tinkered with the insect's genes with hopes of developing modified mosquitoes incapable of transmitting the parasite . Although promising, these efforts produced mosquitoes with only reduced parasite transmission. Now, researchers led by University of Arizona entomology professor Michael Riehle report that they have developed a transgenic mosquito that is completely immune to infection by Plasmodium falciparum , the primary malaria-causing parasite in humans. The researchers hope that their findings will one day be used as part of a new strategy to combat malaria.

You conscious saving the rainforest is worth for biodiversity. But it may also be a reward to sensitive healthiness. That's because less clear-cutting may intermediate less malaria, according to a paper out this week in the journal Emerging Contagious Diseases. [Sarah Olson et al., http://bit.ly/b6iFgT ]



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You recollect providence the rainforest is moral for biodiversity. But it may also be a benefit to considerate trim. That's because less clear-cutting may wealth less malaria, according to a periodical out this week in the periodical Emerging Transmissible Diseases. [Sarah Olson et al., http://bit.ly/b6iFgT ]



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