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Meeting Jane Goodall
by Kate Hannah Clough
Last night, I was granted the incredible opportunity along with 9 other students, to go and see Jane Goodall’s inspirational talk at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, where I sat for an hour and a half on the edge of my seat, completely and utterly mesmerized by her words and herself. The stories she told were of love, brutality, humanity and compassion, but mainly her stories spread hope. Her belief in our generation is so strong that even when I began to doubt myself and the youths around me, I felt enlightened and I too began to truly trust in our generation, along with the other hundreds of audience members.
After the talk, we were able to go and see Jane one on one, and we were given the opportunity to ask questions. As soon as I walked into the room, one question struck my mind, but I didn’t ask it, because I already knew the answer. My question was “Do you truly believe in our generation, along with the ones to come, that we will be able to right wrongs and with hope be able to create a sustainable and healthy environment?”. I truly do believe that she does trust in our generation and the hope she had for us was more than enough to inspire me along with I’m sure, every single person in that theater. Jane then spoke to us and said that her toy monkey should be passed around and we should all stroke his back as she believes the inspiration rubs off, which I believe it did, as well as being completely enlightened by her speech, her gentleness and her fierceness, I was so grateful to be one of the 4 million people to have stroked her plush toy, which symbolised hope and inspiration.
We were then able to have her books and other objects signed by her. I had brought along my 24 year old National Geographic which contained the article about the kinship between apes and humans that includes an amazing photo of a fully grown male chimp reaching out towards Jane with an open palm, while she bowed to him in a chimp like manor to show submission and a somewhat sort of respect towards the ape. This 1992 National Geographic is very important to me, and for her to sign it has only made me treasure it even more.
Once our photos had been taken, Jane turned around and spoke directly to us 10 students, and as she was finishing her quick speech she looked at me and said “You have to fight.” These four words have had such an effect on me. I left feeling inspired and hopeful and left wanting to make a difference.
As soon as I got home I began running over issues in the world, in our environment, even small ones, because as Jane said, if everyone does something little, we can still help. I remembered the 55 Maui Dolphins and their plight for survival. Through the inspiration she has given me to help make a difference, I have organised a group of eager friends and hopefully through our school, we are going to try and create an impact that will stop the drilling for oil and gas in the West Coast Marine Mammal Sanctuary. I also hopped online and joined her organization Roots and Shoots. I would love to begin to make a youth lead action group where we are able to work on environmental problems, and one day I hope to be living my dream which is to be a Wildlife documenter and journalist for National Geographic. Spreading inspiration and hope as well as informing people about the environmental issues and how they themselves can help is my dream. I used to think that this dream would NEVER be possible, even though I have a mother who also pushes me to believe in my dreams. Now with Jane and my mother both inspiring me, I truly believe there is a chance that one day I will be out there in the wild helping the environment and its inhabitants hands on.
Jane has always been an idol to me, since I could listen, read and walk, I have been experiencing her work through books, documentaries and news reports. To me, meeting her was only a dream, I would never have thought it to be possible. No words are truly enough to even begin to explain how grateful I am to have met the Jane Goodall. I wanted to thank everyone who made it possible for her to even come to New Zealand and spread her inspiration and hope towards all generations, through all youth and push us all to help in one way or another to make this world a better place.
by Kate Hannah Clough
Last night, I was granted the incredible opportunity along with 9 other students, to go and see Jane Goodall’s inspirational talk at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, where I sat for an hour and a half on the edge of my seat, completely and utterly mesmerized by her words and herself. The stories she told were of love, brutality, humanity and compassion, but mainly her stories spread hope. Her belief in our generation is so strong that even when I began to doubt myself and the youths around me, I felt enlightened and I too began to truly trust in our generation, along with the other hundreds of audience members.
After the talk, we were able to go and see Jane one on one, and we were given the opportunity to ask questions. As soon as I walked into the room, one question struck my mind, but I didn’t ask it, because I already knew the answer. My question was “Do you truly believe in our generation, along with the ones to come, that we will be able to right wrongs and with hope be able to create a sustainable and healthy environment?”. I truly do believe that she does trust in our generation and the hope she had for us was more than enough to inspire me along with I’m sure, every single person in that theater. Jane then spoke to us and said that her toy monkey should be passed around and we should all stroke his back as she believes the inspiration rubs off, which I believe it did, as well as being completely enlightened by her speech, her gentleness and her fierceness, I was so grateful to be one of the 4 million people to have stroked her plush toy, which symbolised hope and inspiration.
We were then able to have her books and other objects signed by her. I had brought along my 24 year old National Geographic which contained the article about the kinship between apes and humans that includes an amazing photo of a fully grown male chimp reaching out towards Jane with an open palm, while she bowed to him in a chimp like manor to show submission and a somewhat sort of respect towards the ape. This 1992 National Geographic is very important to me, and for her to sign it has only made me treasure it even more.
Once our photos had been taken, Jane turned around and spoke directly to us 10 students, and as she was finishing her quick speech she looked at me and said “You have to fight.” These four words have had such an effect on me. I left feeling inspired and hopeful and left wanting to make a difference.
As soon as I got home I began running over issues in the world, in our environment, even small ones, because as Jane said, if everyone does something little, we can still help. I remembered the 55 Maui Dolphins and their plight for survival. Through the inspiration she has given me to help make a difference, I have organised a group of eager friends and hopefully through our school, we are going to try and create an impact that will stop the drilling for oil and gas in the West Coast Marine Mammal Sanctuary. I also hopped online and joined her organization Roots and Shoots. I would love to begin to make a youth lead action group where we are able to work on environmental problems, and one day I hope to be living my dream which is to be a Wildlife documenter and journalist for National Geographic. Spreading inspiration and hope as well as informing people about the environmental issues and how they themselves can help is my dream. I used to think that this dream would NEVER be possible, even though I have a mother who also pushes me to believe in my dreams. Now with Jane and my mother both inspiring me, I truly believe there is a chance that one day I will be out there in the wild helping the environment and its inhabitants hands on.
Jane has always been an idol to me, since I could listen, read and walk, I have been experiencing her work through books, documentaries and news reports. To me, meeting her was only a dream, I would never have thought it to be possible. No words are truly enough to even begin to explain how grateful I am to have met the Jane Goodall. I wanted to thank everyone who made it possible for her to even come to New Zealand and spread her inspiration and hope towards all generations, through all youth and push us all to help in one way or another to make this world a better place.
Multiple sclerosis discovery may explain gender gap
By Pippa Stephens Health reporter, BBC News
Scientists said the S1PR2 protein was linked to multiple sclerosis
A key difference in the brains of male and female MS patients may explain why more women than men get the disease, a study suggests.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in the US found higher levels of protein S1PR2 in tests on the brains of female mice and dead women with MS than in male equivalents.
Four times more women than men are currently diagnosed with MS.
Experts said the finding was "really interesting".
MS affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, which causes problems with muscle movement, balance and vision. It is a major cause of disability, and affects about 100,000 people in the UK.
Blood-brain barrier Abnormal immune cells attack nerve cells in the central nervous system in MS patients. There is currently no cure, although there are treatments that can help in the early stages of the disease.
Researchers in Missouri looked at relapsing remitting MS, where people have distinct attacks of symptoms that then fade away either partially or completely. About 85% of people with MS are diagnosed with this type.
Scientists studied the blood vessels and brains of healthy mice, mice with MS, and mice without the gene for S1PR2, a blood vessel receptor protein, to see how it affected MS severity.
They also looked at the brain tissue samples of 20 people after they had died. They found high levels of S1PR2 in the areas of the brain typically damaged by MS in both mice and people. The activity of the gene coding for S1PR2 was positively correlated with the severity of the disease in mice, the study said.
Scientists said S1PR2 could work by helping to make the blood-brain barrier, in charge of stopping potentially harmful substances from entering the brain and spinal fluid, more permeable. A more permeable barrier could let attacking cells, which cause MS, into the central nervous system, the study said.
Understanding 'crucial' Prof Robyn Klein, of the Washington University School of Medicine, said: "We were very excited to find the molecule, as we wanted to find a target for treatment that didn't involve targeting the immune cells.
"This link [between MS and S1PR2] is completely new - it has never been found before." Prof Klein said she did not know why the levels of S1PR2 were higher in women with MS, adding she had found oestrogen had "no acute role". She would be looking at taking her findings to clinical trials in the "next few years", she added.
Dr Emma Gray, of the MS Society, said: "We don't yet fully understand why MS affects more women than men, and it's an area that's intrigued scientists, and people with MS, for many years. "A number of theories have been suggested in the past, including the influence of hormones or possible genetic factors - and this study explores one such genetic factor in further detail, which is really interesting."
She said understanding the causes of MS was a "priority" for the MS Society in the UK, and could be "crucial" in finding new treatments.
The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
By Pippa Stephens Health reporter, BBC News
Scientists said the S1PR2 protein was linked to multiple sclerosis
A key difference in the brains of male and female MS patients may explain why more women than men get the disease, a study suggests.
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in the US found higher levels of protein S1PR2 in tests on the brains of female mice and dead women with MS than in male equivalents.
Four times more women than men are currently diagnosed with MS.
Experts said the finding was "really interesting".
MS affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, which causes problems with muscle movement, balance and vision. It is a major cause of disability, and affects about 100,000 people in the UK.
Blood-brain barrier Abnormal immune cells attack nerve cells in the central nervous system in MS patients. There is currently no cure, although there are treatments that can help in the early stages of the disease.
Researchers in Missouri looked at relapsing remitting MS, where people have distinct attacks of symptoms that then fade away either partially or completely. About 85% of people with MS are diagnosed with this type.
Scientists studied the blood vessels and brains of healthy mice, mice with MS, and mice without the gene for S1PR2, a blood vessel receptor protein, to see how it affected MS severity.
They also looked at the brain tissue samples of 20 people after they had died. They found high levels of S1PR2 in the areas of the brain typically damaged by MS in both mice and people. The activity of the gene coding for S1PR2 was positively correlated with the severity of the disease in mice, the study said.
Scientists said S1PR2 could work by helping to make the blood-brain barrier, in charge of stopping potentially harmful substances from entering the brain and spinal fluid, more permeable. A more permeable barrier could let attacking cells, which cause MS, into the central nervous system, the study said.
Understanding 'crucial' Prof Robyn Klein, of the Washington University School of Medicine, said: "We were very excited to find the molecule, as we wanted to find a target for treatment that didn't involve targeting the immune cells.
"This link [between MS and S1PR2] is completely new - it has never been found before." Prof Klein said she did not know why the levels of S1PR2 were higher in women with MS, adding she had found oestrogen had "no acute role". She would be looking at taking her findings to clinical trials in the "next few years", she added.
Dr Emma Gray, of the MS Society, said: "We don't yet fully understand why MS affects more women than men, and it's an area that's intrigued scientists, and people with MS, for many years. "A number of theories have been suggested in the past, including the influence of hormones or possible genetic factors - and this study explores one such genetic factor in further detail, which is really interesting."
She said understanding the causes of MS was a "priority" for the MS Society in the UK, and could be "crucial" in finding new treatments.
The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Super squid surfaces in Antarctic
By Kim Griggs in Wellington
A colossal squid has been caught in Antarctic waters, the first example of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni retrieved virtually intact from the surface of the ocean.
It really has to be one of the most frightening predators out there
Dr Steve O'Shea "All we knew prior to this specimen coming through was that this animal lived in the abyssal environment down in Antarctica," New Zealand squid expert and senior research fellow at Auckland University of Technology, Dr Steve O'Shea, told BBC News Online. "Now we know that it is moving right through the water column, right up to the very surface and it grows to a spectacular size."
Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was first identified in 1925 after two arms were recovered from a sperm whale's stomach.
Lethal hooks
There have only ever been six specimens of this squid recovered: five have come from the stomachs of sperm whales and the sixth was caught in a trawl net at a depth of 2,000 to 2,200 metres.
"It's been known since 1925, but no one really paid any attention to it," Dr O'Shea said.
"Now we can say that it attains a size larger than the giant squid. Giant squid is no longer the largest squid that's out there. We've got something that's even larger, and not just larger but an order of magnitude meaner."
This squid has one of the largest beaks known of any squid and also has unique swivelling hooks on the clubs at the ends of its tentacles.
Bigger still
This combination allows it to attack fish as large as the Patagonian toothfish and probably to also attempt to maul sperm whales."When this animal was alive, it really has to be one of the most frightening predators out there. It's without parallel in the oceans," said Dr O'Shea, whose work is sponsored by Discovery Channel.
The specimen, which was caught in the past few weeks in the Ross Sea, has a mantle length of 2.5 metres. That is a larger mantle than any giant squid that Dr O'Shea has seen and this specimen is still immature, the NZ scientist believes.
"It's only half to two-thirds grown, so it grows up to four metres in mantle length." By comparison, the mantle of the giant squid, Architeuthis dux, is not known to attain more than 2.25 metres. Common name
The squid researchers are calling Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni the "colossal squid".
"We'd like to give this animal the name colossal squid in order to have a common name for it as opposed to just the scientific name," said Kat Bolstad, research associate at Auckland University of Technology.
"We feel that colossal conveys both the size and the aggressiveness of the animal."
"This animal, armed as it is with the hooks and the beak that it has, not only is colossal in size but is going to be a phenomenal predator and something you are not going to want to meet in the water."
By Kim Griggs in Wellington
A colossal squid has been caught in Antarctic waters, the first example of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni retrieved virtually intact from the surface of the ocean.
It really has to be one of the most frightening predators out there
Dr Steve O'Shea "All we knew prior to this specimen coming through was that this animal lived in the abyssal environment down in Antarctica," New Zealand squid expert and senior research fellow at Auckland University of Technology, Dr Steve O'Shea, told BBC News Online. "Now we know that it is moving right through the water column, right up to the very surface and it grows to a spectacular size."
Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni was first identified in 1925 after two arms were recovered from a sperm whale's stomach.
Lethal hooks
There have only ever been six specimens of this squid recovered: five have come from the stomachs of sperm whales and the sixth was caught in a trawl net at a depth of 2,000 to 2,200 metres.
"It's been known since 1925, but no one really paid any attention to it," Dr O'Shea said.
"Now we can say that it attains a size larger than the giant squid. Giant squid is no longer the largest squid that's out there. We've got something that's even larger, and not just larger but an order of magnitude meaner."
This squid has one of the largest beaks known of any squid and also has unique swivelling hooks on the clubs at the ends of its tentacles.
Bigger still
This combination allows it to attack fish as large as the Patagonian toothfish and probably to also attempt to maul sperm whales."When this animal was alive, it really has to be one of the most frightening predators out there. It's without parallel in the oceans," said Dr O'Shea, whose work is sponsored by Discovery Channel.
The specimen, which was caught in the past few weeks in the Ross Sea, has a mantle length of 2.5 metres. That is a larger mantle than any giant squid that Dr O'Shea has seen and this specimen is still immature, the NZ scientist believes.
"It's only half to two-thirds grown, so it grows up to four metres in mantle length." By comparison, the mantle of the giant squid, Architeuthis dux, is not known to attain more than 2.25 metres. Common name
The squid researchers are calling Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni the "colossal squid".
"We'd like to give this animal the name colossal squid in order to have a common name for it as opposed to just the scientific name," said Kat Bolstad, research associate at Auckland University of Technology.
"We feel that colossal conveys both the size and the aggressiveness of the animal."
"This animal, armed as it is with the hooks and the beak that it has, not only is colossal in size but is going to be a phenomenal predator and something you are not going to want to meet in the water."
Moa, kiwi lost flight independently
Flightless birds of a feather don’t always flock together, at least in an evolutionary sense.
While the moa and kiwi are both flightless birds and part of the species group known as ratites, they may have evolved to become non-flying species independently according to genetic research from a Canadian team – including New Zealander Prof Allan Baker, currently at the University of Toronto. Prof Baker and colleagues extracted ancient moa DNA (from the extinct little bush moa) along with DNA from emus and other flightless birds to assemble the largest dataset to date. The used differences in genetics to estimate the degree of similarity and relatedness between species.
Their results, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, found convincing evidence that South American tinamous – a flying bird — are most closely related to the wingless extinct moa, and thus flight has been lost independently in ratite lineages. They showed that morphological characters of ratites interpreted on their molecular tree are mostly convergent, evolving independently, probably as an adaptation to a cursorial, “on-the-run” lifestyle.
Prof Baker’s research has received media attention both in New Zealand and abroad.
Flightless birds of a feather don’t always flock together, at least in an evolutionary sense.
While the moa and kiwi are both flightless birds and part of the species group known as ratites, they may have evolved to become non-flying species independently according to genetic research from a Canadian team – including New Zealander Prof Allan Baker, currently at the University of Toronto. Prof Baker and colleagues extracted ancient moa DNA (from the extinct little bush moa) along with DNA from emus and other flightless birds to assemble the largest dataset to date. The used differences in genetics to estimate the degree of similarity and relatedness between species.
Their results, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, found convincing evidence that South American tinamous – a flying bird — are most closely related to the wingless extinct moa, and thus flight has been lost independently in ratite lineages. They showed that morphological characters of ratites interpreted on their molecular tree are mostly convergent, evolving independently, probably as an adaptation to a cursorial, “on-the-run” lifestyle.
Prof Baker’s research has received media attention both in New Zealand and abroad.
Environmental factors as important as genes in understanding autism
Quinn, an autistic boy, and the line of toys he made before falling asleep. Repeatedly stacking or lining up objects is a behavior commonly associated with autism. Credit: Wikipedia.
Environmental factors are more important than previously thought in understanding the causes of autism, and equally as important as genes, according to the largest study to date to look at how autism runs in families.
The study also shows that children with a brother or sister with autism are 10 times more likely to develop autism; 3 times if they have a half-brother or sister; and 2 if they have a cousin with autism, providing much needed information for parents and clinicians for assessing individual risk.
The study, which looked at over 2 million people, was led by researchers at King's College London, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Mount Sinai in the US, and is published in JAMA today.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviours. The exact causes are unknown but evidence has shown it is likely to include a range of genetic and environmental risk factors.
Using Swedish national health registers, the researchers analysed anonymous data from all 2 million children born in Sweden in between 1982 and 2006, 14,516 of which had a diagnosis of ASD. The researchers analysed pairs of family members: identical and non-identical twins, siblings, maternal and paternal half-siblings and cousins.
The study involved two separate measures of autism risk – heritability, which is the proportion of risk in the population that can be attributed to genetic factors; and Relative Recurrent Risk which measures individual risk for people who have a relative with autism.
Most previous studies have suggested that heritability of autism may be as high as 80-90%, but one study has hinted at a lower estimate. The new study is the largest and most comprehensive to date and estimates heritability of autism to be 50%, with the other 50% explained by non-heritable or environmental factors.
Environmental factors are split into 'shared environments' which are shared between family members (such as family socio-economic status), and 'non-shared environments' which are unique to the individual (such as birth complications or maternal infections or medication during the pre and perinatal period). In this study, factors which are unique to the individual, or 'non-shared environments' were the major source of environmental risk.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-environmental-factors-important-genes-autism.html
Quinn, an autistic boy, and the line of toys he made before falling asleep. Repeatedly stacking or lining up objects is a behavior commonly associated with autism. Credit: Wikipedia.
Environmental factors are more important than previously thought in understanding the causes of autism, and equally as important as genes, according to the largest study to date to look at how autism runs in families.
The study also shows that children with a brother or sister with autism are 10 times more likely to develop autism; 3 times if they have a half-brother or sister; and 2 if they have a cousin with autism, providing much needed information for parents and clinicians for assessing individual risk.
The study, which looked at over 2 million people, was led by researchers at King's College London, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Mount Sinai in the US, and is published in JAMA today.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviours. The exact causes are unknown but evidence has shown it is likely to include a range of genetic and environmental risk factors.
Using Swedish national health registers, the researchers analysed anonymous data from all 2 million children born in Sweden in between 1982 and 2006, 14,516 of which had a diagnosis of ASD. The researchers analysed pairs of family members: identical and non-identical twins, siblings, maternal and paternal half-siblings and cousins.
The study involved two separate measures of autism risk – heritability, which is the proportion of risk in the population that can be attributed to genetic factors; and Relative Recurrent Risk which measures individual risk for people who have a relative with autism.
Most previous studies have suggested that heritability of autism may be as high as 80-90%, but one study has hinted at a lower estimate. The new study is the largest and most comprehensive to date and estimates heritability of autism to be 50%, with the other 50% explained by non-heritable or environmental factors.
Environmental factors are split into 'shared environments' which are shared between family members (such as family socio-economic status), and 'non-shared environments' which are unique to the individual (such as birth complications or maternal infections or medication during the pre and perinatal period). In this study, factors which are unique to the individual, or 'non-shared environments' were the major source of environmental risk.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-environmental-factors-important-genes-autism.html
Coated droplets hint at formation of early cells
Apr 25, 2014
Fluorescence microscopy image of membrane-coated coacervate droplets. The green rings seen in the image originate from a dye molecule located in the fatty acid membrane assembled on the surface of the micro-droplets.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have designed a chemical system that brings together alternative ideas on how primitive cells were formed on the early Earth to produce a new model of protocell organization. The work is described in an article published this week in Nature Chemistry.
The most fundamental requirement for the emergence of cells on the early Earth is the existence of a closed compartment, but how this came about remains a mystery.
Two alternative theories based on the self-assembly of fatty acid membrane-bounded water droplets (vesicles) or the spontaneous phase separation of membrane-free liquid droplets (coacervates) are being tested experimentally, but neither model is fully satisfactory.
Professor Stephen Mann and Dr Dora Tang, with colleagues in the new Bristol Centre for Protolife Research in the School of Chemistry and collaborators at Imperial College London, have now addressed this problem by designing and constructing a new type of protocell that integrates aspects of both hypotheses to produce a hybrid model of prebiotic organization.
The team first prepared membrane-free droplets containing high concentrations of biomolecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and a short or long polymer of the natural amino acid lysine, and then added low amounts of a fatty acid.
The concentration of the fatty acid was too low for the molecules to self-organize into vesicles, and instead they became attached to the surface of the droplets to produce a continuous organic membrane. In this way, the researchers were able to produce protocells that were both membrane-bounded and chemically enriched.
Professor Stephen Mann said: "This work could open up a new horizon in protocell research as it offers an integrated approach to the problem of how the first cells were formed and organized.
"Our new hybrid model can be easily developed towards more complex systems, and designed and tested for new types of functions. For example, we hope to use the new design principle to study the membrane-mediated regulation of biological reactions inside coacervate droplets."
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-04-coated-droplets-hint-formation-early.html#jCp
Apr 25, 2014
Fluorescence microscopy image of membrane-coated coacervate droplets. The green rings seen in the image originate from a dye molecule located in the fatty acid membrane assembled on the surface of the micro-droplets.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have designed a chemical system that brings together alternative ideas on how primitive cells were formed on the early Earth to produce a new model of protocell organization. The work is described in an article published this week in Nature Chemistry.
The most fundamental requirement for the emergence of cells on the early Earth is the existence of a closed compartment, but how this came about remains a mystery.
Two alternative theories based on the self-assembly of fatty acid membrane-bounded water droplets (vesicles) or the spontaneous phase separation of membrane-free liquid droplets (coacervates) are being tested experimentally, but neither model is fully satisfactory.
Professor Stephen Mann and Dr Dora Tang, with colleagues in the new Bristol Centre for Protolife Research in the School of Chemistry and collaborators at Imperial College London, have now addressed this problem by designing and constructing a new type of protocell that integrates aspects of both hypotheses to produce a hybrid model of prebiotic organization.
The team first prepared membrane-free droplets containing high concentrations of biomolecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and a short or long polymer of the natural amino acid lysine, and then added low amounts of a fatty acid.
The concentration of the fatty acid was too low for the molecules to self-organize into vesicles, and instead they became attached to the surface of the droplets to produce a continuous organic membrane. In this way, the researchers were able to produce protocells that were both membrane-bounded and chemically enriched.
Professor Stephen Mann said: "This work could open up a new horizon in protocell research as it offers an integrated approach to the problem of how the first cells were formed and organized.
"Our new hybrid model can be easily developed towards more complex systems, and designed and tested for new types of functions. For example, we hope to use the new design principle to study the membrane-mediated regulation of biological reactions inside coacervate droplets."
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-04-coated-droplets-hint-formation-early.html#jCp
Pattern of brain-specific protein modifications is driven by the regulation of multiple enzymes
May 02, 2014
Figure 1: In the brain, epigenetic factors can increase expression of the enzyme GnT-IX to produce a specific glycosylation pattern (left), or block GnT-IX expression to prevent the same glycosylation process (right). Credit: Yasuhiko Kizuka, RIKEN–Max Planck Joint Research Center for Systems Chemical Biology
Many human proteins are modified by the attachment of short sugar chains called glycans. The patterns of attachment, or glycosylations, are known to be specific to organs, tissues and cell types, but the mechanisms regulating these patterns have been unclear. Naoyuki Taniguchi, Yasuhiko Kizuka and colleagues from the RIKEN–Max Planck Joint Research Center for Systems Chemical Biology have now clarified one such mechanism in the brain.
Glycosylation is mediated by glycosyltransferase enzymes. The researchers studied one of these enzymes called N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-IX (GnT-IX), which is expressed only in the brain and is involved in demyelination—degradation of the insulation around neurons that helps them to conduct electrical signals. Understanding the regulation of GnT-IX expression could help in developing better knowledge of diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
As Kizuka explains, a closer look at the process regulating GnT-IX expression could also provide broader insight into glycosylation. "Expression of each glycosyltransferase enzyme in a specific tissue contributes to the phenomenon of tissue-specific glycosylation," he says. "Unveiling the mechanism of how GnT-IX is present only in the brain could lead to a general understanding of how sugar chains are formed in a tissue-specific manner."
The team focused on a process known as epigenetics, in which gene expression is altered over time by modification of DNA and the histone proteins they are wrapped around. By manipulating expression of epigenetic factors in cultured brain cells and measuring the effect on GnT-IX expression, the researchers found that an enzyme called histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11), which modifies histones near the GnT-IX gene, blocks expression of the GnT-IX enzyme. In contrast, enzymes called ten eleven translocase 3 (TET3) and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) increase expression of GnT-IX by recruiting a protein called NeuroD1, which triggers expression of the GnT-IX gene. The expression of enzymes similar to GnT-IX was unaffected, showing that this control mechanism is highly specific (Fig. 1).
"For the first time, we revealed the epigenetic mechanism underlying tissue-specific glycosylation," says Kizuka. "I expect that similar epigenetic mechanisms regulate other glycosylation-related genes, and analyzing the regulation of these genes will promote our understanding of glycosylation."
Kizuka also notes that it could be this epigenetic mechanism of GnT-IX regulation that goes wrong in the development of demyelination diseases. If similar mechanisms operate for other enzymes, there could be wider implications. "Defects in glycosylation often lead to severe disorders," he says. "Some of these diseases might be triggered by epigenetic dysregulation of glycosylation-related genes."
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-05-pattern-brain-specific-protein-modifications-driven.html#jCp
May 02, 2014
Figure 1: In the brain, epigenetic factors can increase expression of the enzyme GnT-IX to produce a specific glycosylation pattern (left), or block GnT-IX expression to prevent the same glycosylation process (right). Credit: Yasuhiko Kizuka, RIKEN–Max Planck Joint Research Center for Systems Chemical Biology
Many human proteins are modified by the attachment of short sugar chains called glycans. The patterns of attachment, or glycosylations, are known to be specific to organs, tissues and cell types, but the mechanisms regulating these patterns have been unclear. Naoyuki Taniguchi, Yasuhiko Kizuka and colleagues from the RIKEN–Max Planck Joint Research Center for Systems Chemical Biology have now clarified one such mechanism in the brain.
Glycosylation is mediated by glycosyltransferase enzymes. The researchers studied one of these enzymes called N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-IX (GnT-IX), which is expressed only in the brain and is involved in demyelination—degradation of the insulation around neurons that helps them to conduct electrical signals. Understanding the regulation of GnT-IX expression could help in developing better knowledge of diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
As Kizuka explains, a closer look at the process regulating GnT-IX expression could also provide broader insight into glycosylation. "Expression of each glycosyltransferase enzyme in a specific tissue contributes to the phenomenon of tissue-specific glycosylation," he says. "Unveiling the mechanism of how GnT-IX is present only in the brain could lead to a general understanding of how sugar chains are formed in a tissue-specific manner."
The team focused on a process known as epigenetics, in which gene expression is altered over time by modification of DNA and the histone proteins they are wrapped around. By manipulating expression of epigenetic factors in cultured brain cells and measuring the effect on GnT-IX expression, the researchers found that an enzyme called histone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11), which modifies histones near the GnT-IX gene, blocks expression of the GnT-IX enzyme. In contrast, enzymes called ten eleven translocase 3 (TET3) and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) increase expression of GnT-IX by recruiting a protein called NeuroD1, which triggers expression of the GnT-IX gene. The expression of enzymes similar to GnT-IX was unaffected, showing that this control mechanism is highly specific (Fig. 1).
"For the first time, we revealed the epigenetic mechanism underlying tissue-specific glycosylation," says Kizuka. "I expect that similar epigenetic mechanisms regulate other glycosylation-related genes, and analyzing the regulation of these genes will promote our understanding of glycosylation."
Kizuka also notes that it could be this epigenetic mechanism of GnT-IX regulation that goes wrong in the development of demyelination diseases. If similar mechanisms operate for other enzymes, there could be wider implications. "Defects in glycosylation often lead to severe disorders," he says. "Some of these diseases might be triggered by epigenetic dysregulation of glycosylation-related genes."
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-05-pattern-brain-specific-protein-modifications-driven.html#jCp
Sponges squeezed off oldest branch of animal tree
Dec 12, 2013 by Malcolm Ritter
This undated image provided by the University of Miami via the journal Science in December 2013 shows a Mnemiopsis leidyi, a species of comb jelly known as a sea walnut. A new study published online Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 in the journal Science says comb jellies, a group of gelatinous marine animals, represent the oldest branch of the animal family tree. (AP Photo/University of Miami, William Browne)
Sponges are getting squeezed out of a distinctive role in evolution. A new study says they don't represent the oldest branch of the animal family tree after all.
The DNA research gives the spot instead to comb jellies, a group of gelatinous marine animals with names like the sea walnut and the sea gooseberry.
All animals evolved from a single ancestor and scientists want to know more about how that happened. More than half a billion years ago, long before humans appeared, the first split in the tree separated one lineage from all other animals. Traditionally, scientists have thought it was sponges.
The evidence in favor of comb jellies comes from deciphering the first complete genetic code from a member of this group. Scientists were finally able to compare the full DNA codes from all the earliest branches.
The genome of a sea walnut, a plankton-eating creature native to the western Atlantic Ocean, was reported online Thursday in the journal Science by Andreas Baxevanis of the National Human Genome Research Institute with co-authors there and elsewhere. The work supports some earlier indications that comb jellies were the first to branch off.
Sorting out the early branching of the tree could help scientists learn what the ancestor of all animals was like. But despite decades of study and the traditional view favoring sponges, there is plenty of disagreement about which early branch came first.
The question is "devilishly difficult" to answer, and the new paper is probably not the last word, said Antonis Rokas of Vanderbilt University, who did not participate in the new work.
"The results need to be taken seriously," he said, but "I'm pretty sure there will be other studies that suggest something else."
Dec 12, 2013 by Malcolm Ritter
This undated image provided by the University of Miami via the journal Science in December 2013 shows a Mnemiopsis leidyi, a species of comb jelly known as a sea walnut. A new study published online Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 in the journal Science says comb jellies, a group of gelatinous marine animals, represent the oldest branch of the animal family tree. (AP Photo/University of Miami, William Browne)
Sponges are getting squeezed out of a distinctive role in evolution. A new study says they don't represent the oldest branch of the animal family tree after all.
The DNA research gives the spot instead to comb jellies, a group of gelatinous marine animals with names like the sea walnut and the sea gooseberry.
All animals evolved from a single ancestor and scientists want to know more about how that happened. More than half a billion years ago, long before humans appeared, the first split in the tree separated one lineage from all other animals. Traditionally, scientists have thought it was sponges.
The evidence in favor of comb jellies comes from deciphering the first complete genetic code from a member of this group. Scientists were finally able to compare the full DNA codes from all the earliest branches.
The genome of a sea walnut, a plankton-eating creature native to the western Atlantic Ocean, was reported online Thursday in the journal Science by Andreas Baxevanis of the National Human Genome Research Institute with co-authors there and elsewhere. The work supports some earlier indications that comb jellies were the first to branch off.
Sorting out the early branching of the tree could help scientists learn what the ancestor of all animals was like. But despite decades of study and the traditional view favoring sponges, there is plenty of disagreement about which early branch came first.
The question is "devilishly difficult" to answer, and the new paper is probably not the last word, said Antonis Rokas of Vanderbilt University, who did not participate in the new work.
"The results need to be taken seriously," he said, but "I'm pretty sure there will be other studies that suggest something else."
This undated image provided by Brown University via the journal Science in December 2013 shows a Mnemiopsis leidyi, a species of comb jelly known as a sea walnut. A new study published online Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 in the journal Science says comb jellies, a group of gelatinous marine animals, represent the oldest branch of the animal family tree. (AP Photo/Brown University, Stefan Siebert)
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-12-sponges-oldest-animal-tree.html#jCp
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-12-sponges-oldest-animal-tree.html#jCp
Competition for ecological niches limits the formation of new species
Apr 30, 2014
The rate at which new species evolve is limited by competition for ecological niches, report scientists from the University of Chicago in Nature on April 30. The study, which analyzes the evolutionary and genetic relationships between all 461 songbird species that live in the Himalayan mountains, suggests that as ecological niches within an environment are filled, the formation of new species slows or even stops.
This image shows the Fire-tailed Myzornis, one of 461 species that inhabit the Himalayan mountains. Credit: Tom Stephenson
To study what controls the process of speciation, Trevor Price, PhD, professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago, Dhananjai Mohan of the Indian Forest service and their colleagues looked at songbirds in the eastern Himalayas, a region which contains the greatest diversity of songbirds in the world. Thought to have originated from a single species around 50 million years ago, the songbird suborder—which includes swallows, warblers, finches and crows—contains more than 5,000 species, occupies a wide range of climates and possesses extreme variations in body mass, shape and feeding adaptations.
The team collected and sequenced DNA from all 461 species of Himalayan songbirds—including ultra-rare species such as the Bugun liocichla. Of these species, 358 breed within a 10,000 square kilometer area, offering the ability to compare the difference between species in the area and those elsewhere in the Himalayas. The team then created a molecular-based phylogenetic tree that detailed the evolutionary relationships between all the species.
Based on genetic information, the researchers discovered that eastern Himalayan songbirds are, on average, separated from each other by six to seven million years—roughly the same amount of time that humans and chimpanzees have been separated.
"Despite the great diversity of environments and ability for species to move between areas, evolution in eastern Himalayas appears to have slowed to a basic halt," Price said. "Other species have formed elsewhere, such as in China and Siberia, but most have been unable to spread into this region."
The researchers attribute this slowing of evolution to the filling of ecological niches, or exploitable habitats or resources for new species to adapt to. The formation of new species is usually thought to involve three steps. First, a species expands across an environmental range. Then a barrier, such as climate change or a geographic event, causes the species to separate into distinct populations. Lastly, the development of reproductive isolation—the inability to interbreed—finalizes the speciation process. This cycle then repeats, creating the breadth of diversity seen in nature.
Price and his colleagues argue that the expansion of a range cannot occur if there are no ecological niches for a species to expand into. Despite the ability of birds to fly and cross geographic barriers, they cannot persist in regions where they are outcompeted by existing species who occupy available niches. In the eastern Himalayas, the researchers found evidence of this in numerous differences in feeding method and body size that appeared early in the evolutionary history of songbirds. Less dramatic ecological differences, such as living at differing elevations, appeared to form later as the initial adaptive radiation slowed.
"Our argument is that niche filling has stopped species from getting big ranges," Price said. "In the eastern Himalayas, it has become harder and harder for new species to get into that system, and we are quite close to the maximum number of species that can be accommodated. There is little room for more species because niches are increasingly occupied."
This model for diversification stands in stark contrast to previous hypotheses, many of which have focused on the slow development of reproductive isolation as the limiting factor.
In addition, the researchers discovered that the greatest diversity of songbird species were located at around a 2,000 meter elevation—a more temperate region compared to the tropical forest below. They plan to further study this phenomenon on return expeditions.
"It's important to realize just how old and how much incredible genetic diversity are in these mountainous forests," Price adds. "All these species managed to deal with warming, glaciation and cooling without changing very much. It's quite amazing to me think that the next 100 years a lot of these may be gone, when they managed to get through the last 6 million years."
Apr 30, 2014
The rate at which new species evolve is limited by competition for ecological niches, report scientists from the University of Chicago in Nature on April 30. The study, which analyzes the evolutionary and genetic relationships between all 461 songbird species that live in the Himalayan mountains, suggests that as ecological niches within an environment are filled, the formation of new species slows or even stops.
This image shows the Fire-tailed Myzornis, one of 461 species that inhabit the Himalayan mountains. Credit: Tom Stephenson
To study what controls the process of speciation, Trevor Price, PhD, professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago, Dhananjai Mohan of the Indian Forest service and their colleagues looked at songbirds in the eastern Himalayas, a region which contains the greatest diversity of songbirds in the world. Thought to have originated from a single species around 50 million years ago, the songbird suborder—which includes swallows, warblers, finches and crows—contains more than 5,000 species, occupies a wide range of climates and possesses extreme variations in body mass, shape and feeding adaptations.
The team collected and sequenced DNA from all 461 species of Himalayan songbirds—including ultra-rare species such as the Bugun liocichla. Of these species, 358 breed within a 10,000 square kilometer area, offering the ability to compare the difference between species in the area and those elsewhere in the Himalayas. The team then created a molecular-based phylogenetic tree that detailed the evolutionary relationships between all the species.
Based on genetic information, the researchers discovered that eastern Himalayan songbirds are, on average, separated from each other by six to seven million years—roughly the same amount of time that humans and chimpanzees have been separated.
"Despite the great diversity of environments and ability for species to move between areas, evolution in eastern Himalayas appears to have slowed to a basic halt," Price said. "Other species have formed elsewhere, such as in China and Siberia, but most have been unable to spread into this region."
The researchers attribute this slowing of evolution to the filling of ecological niches, or exploitable habitats or resources for new species to adapt to. The formation of new species is usually thought to involve three steps. First, a species expands across an environmental range. Then a barrier, such as climate change or a geographic event, causes the species to separate into distinct populations. Lastly, the development of reproductive isolation—the inability to interbreed—finalizes the speciation process. This cycle then repeats, creating the breadth of diversity seen in nature.
Price and his colleagues argue that the expansion of a range cannot occur if there are no ecological niches for a species to expand into. Despite the ability of birds to fly and cross geographic barriers, they cannot persist in regions where they are outcompeted by existing species who occupy available niches. In the eastern Himalayas, the researchers found evidence of this in numerous differences in feeding method and body size that appeared early in the evolutionary history of songbirds. Less dramatic ecological differences, such as living at differing elevations, appeared to form later as the initial adaptive radiation slowed.
"Our argument is that niche filling has stopped species from getting big ranges," Price said. "In the eastern Himalayas, it has become harder and harder for new species to get into that system, and we are quite close to the maximum number of species that can be accommodated. There is little room for more species because niches are increasingly occupied."
This model for diversification stands in stark contrast to previous hypotheses, many of which have focused on the slow development of reproductive isolation as the limiting factor.
In addition, the researchers discovered that the greatest diversity of songbird species were located at around a 2,000 meter elevation—a more temperate region compared to the tropical forest below. They plan to further study this phenomenon on return expeditions.
"It's important to realize just how old and how much incredible genetic diversity are in these mountainous forests," Price adds. "All these species managed to deal with warming, glaciation and cooling without changing very much. It's quite amazing to me think that the next 100 years a lot of these may be gone, when they managed to get through the last 6 million years."
A striking feature is that closely related species often lie in different elevational zones: this appears to be last niche dimension along which species have diverged. That is illustrated here for three species of sunbirds (2 other species are not shown). Left, from top: Aethopyga ignicauda (photo by Biswapriya Rahut, Jalpaiguri), Aethopyga nipalensis (Clement Francis), Aethopyga siparaja (S. K. Yathin, under the GNU documentation license). Credit: Left, from top: Aethopyga ignicauda (photo by Biswapriya Rahut, Jalpaiguri), Aethopyga nipalensis (Clement Francis), Aethopyga siparaja (S. K. Yathin, under the GNU documentation license).
More information: "Niche filling slows the diversification of Himalayan songbirds," Nature, April 30, 2014. DOI: 10.1038/nature13272
Read at: http://phys.org/news/2014-04-competition-ecological-niches-limits-formation.html#jCp
More information: "Niche filling slows the diversification of Himalayan songbirds," Nature, April 30, 2014. DOI: 10.1038/nature13272
Read at: http://phys.org/news/2014-04-competition-ecological-niches-limits-formation.html#jCp
These 230-million-year-old bugs preserved in amber are the oldest yet!!!
George Dvorsky
An international team of scientists working in Italy have found the oldest samples of arthropods preserved in amber — a finding that is 100 million years older than previous fossilized samples. The insects, a fly and two mites, are the first ever to be discovered from the Triassic era. The group's findings will help biologists gain a better evolutionary understanding of these organisms and the time periods within which they developed.
Amber droplets can be a goldmine for paleontologists. Even a millimeter sized droplet can contain extremely well preserved specimens of organisms that lived eons ago — specimens that can be observed with microscopic fidelity. Globules of fossilized resin can range in age from the Carboniferous era (about 340 million years ago) to about 40,000 years ago, and were produced by plants like tree ferns, flowering trees, and conifers.
The amber droplets, which are only 2-6 millimeters long, were discovered buried in the Dolomite Alps of northeastern Italy. Paleontologists working there were able to uncover about 70,000 droplets — all of which were screened for signs of preserved life.
Paleontologists suspect that arthropods, a class of organism that includes insects, arachnids, and crustaceans, have been around for at least 400 million years.
Two of the arthropods are a new species of mites — members of an extremely specialized group that fed on plants and sometimes formed an abnormal growth called "galls." Paleontologists were surprised to see how similar these mites were to ones still alive today. It's thought that the mites fed on the leaves of coniferous trees that eventually preserved them. What this indicates to the scientists is that mites are a highly adaptable species, able to shift their feeding habits; today, only 3% of mites feed on conifers — yet they've remained largely unchanged over the course of 230 million years.
The fly could not be identified, outside of its antennae, on account of poor preservation in the amber. But what's clear is that flies existed at the time of the Triassic — offering paleontologists hope that they'll eventually be able to find a better preserved specimen.
You can read the entire study in PNAS.
Images: University of Göttingen/A. Schmidt.
George Dvorsky
An international team of scientists working in Italy have found the oldest samples of arthropods preserved in amber — a finding that is 100 million years older than previous fossilized samples. The insects, a fly and two mites, are the first ever to be discovered from the Triassic era. The group's findings will help biologists gain a better evolutionary understanding of these organisms and the time periods within which they developed.
Amber droplets can be a goldmine for paleontologists. Even a millimeter sized droplet can contain extremely well preserved specimens of organisms that lived eons ago — specimens that can be observed with microscopic fidelity. Globules of fossilized resin can range in age from the Carboniferous era (about 340 million years ago) to about 40,000 years ago, and were produced by plants like tree ferns, flowering trees, and conifers.
The amber droplets, which are only 2-6 millimeters long, were discovered buried in the Dolomite Alps of northeastern Italy. Paleontologists working there were able to uncover about 70,000 droplets — all of which were screened for signs of preserved life.
Paleontologists suspect that arthropods, a class of organism that includes insects, arachnids, and crustaceans, have been around for at least 400 million years.
Two of the arthropods are a new species of mites — members of an extremely specialized group that fed on plants and sometimes formed an abnormal growth called "galls." Paleontologists were surprised to see how similar these mites were to ones still alive today. It's thought that the mites fed on the leaves of coniferous trees that eventually preserved them. What this indicates to the scientists is that mites are a highly adaptable species, able to shift their feeding habits; today, only 3% of mites feed on conifers — yet they've remained largely unchanged over the course of 230 million years.
The fly could not be identified, outside of its antennae, on account of poor preservation in the amber. But what's clear is that flies existed at the time of the Triassic — offering paleontologists hope that they'll eventually be able to find a better preserved specimen.
You can read the entire study in PNAS.
Images: University of Göttingen/A. Schmidt.
These birds hold funerals for their dead
Alasdair Wilkins
It's sometimes suggested humans are the only species that truly understands the concept of the death. But now researchers have discovered that humans aren't the only creatures who hold funerals.
Researchers at UC Davis have observed this funereal behavior in western scrub jays. When one bird spots a dead jay on the ground, it stops what it was doing and starts sending out loud alarm calls. The calls bring in jays from all over, who gather around the body and continue sending out the alarm calls so that as many jays as possible show up near the dead body.
Of course, it's unlikely that these alarm calls are the western scrub jay equivalent of a eulogy. Instead, the researchers are pretty sure that the dead body functions as a warning that predators are nearby, and the jays treat this information seriously enough to gather their entire population around the site of the death. The sight of death had a profound enough effect on the jays that they stopped foraging for the rest of the day, although exactly why this behavior change occurred is difficult to say. It's tempting to say they were too grief-stricken to eat, but we simply don't have enough information to make that assumption.
To better understand what drove the reactions of the jays to the dead bird, the UC Davis researchers presented them with various objects, including recently dead jays, stuffed jays, colored pieces of woods, and stuffed great horn owls (their main predator). A BBC news story charts the birds' reactions:
When the birds were fooled into thinking a predator had arrived, by being exposed to a mounted owl, they also gathered together and made a series of alarm calls. They also swooped down at the supposed predator, to scare it off. But the jays never swooped at the body of a dead bird. The birds also occasionally mobbed the stuffed jays; a behaviour they are known to do in the wild when they attack competitors or sick birds. The fact that the jays didn't react to the wooden objects shows that it is not the novelty of a dead bird appearing that triggers the reaction. The results show that "without witnessing the struggle and manner of death", the researchers write, the jays see the presence of a dead bird as information to be publicly shared, just as they do the presence of a predator.
Read the full scientific paper in Animal Behavior.
Do you like Birds?
If you are in any way ornithological minded, then you might enjoy the following two sites:
Ornithological Society of New Zealand: http://osnz.org.nz/ is the site that promotes their commitment to the study of birds and their habitat use within New Zealand through encouraging members and organising projects and schemes.
If you have a 'bird bug' that just might be sufficient to let you know how and where to go for birdwatching activities. They just changed their name into 'Birds New Zealand'.
Quoting from their site the latest news article:
New Brand Name Mon, 25/11/2013 - 11:38 — by Ingrid Hutzler At its recent annual conference in Dunedin the society unanimously adopted the brand name of "Birds New Zealand" in the hope that this will improve the awareness, understanding and relevancy of the society to the general public. While a similar move has been proposed before, this brand name change only relates to our more popular activities and particularly those where we are interacting with the public. Importantly, Birds New Zealand will be the new name for our journal Southern Bird from 2014. The society’s website, brochures, notices and posters will gradually be changed also to reflect our new branding. Notornis will continue to be the scientific journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Council sees this as the first step in reviewing the society's strategic plan, and members will be advised of further initiatives as they develop.
If you are in any way ornithological minded, then you might enjoy the following two sites:
Ornithological Society of New Zealand: http://osnz.org.nz/ is the site that promotes their commitment to the study of birds and their habitat use within New Zealand through encouraging members and organising projects and schemes.
If you have a 'bird bug' that just might be sufficient to let you know how and where to go for birdwatching activities. They just changed their name into 'Birds New Zealand'.
Quoting from their site the latest news article:
New Brand Name Mon, 25/11/2013 - 11:38 — by Ingrid Hutzler At its recent annual conference in Dunedin the society unanimously adopted the brand name of "Birds New Zealand" in the hope that this will improve the awareness, understanding and relevancy of the society to the general public. While a similar move has been proposed before, this brand name change only relates to our more popular activities and particularly those where we are interacting with the public. Importantly, Birds New Zealand will be the new name for our journal Southern Bird from 2014. The society’s website, brochures, notices and posters will gradually be changed also to reflect our new branding. Notornis will continue to be the scientific journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Council sees this as the first step in reviewing the society's strategic plan, and members will be advised of further initiatives as they develop.
New Zealand Birds: http://nzbirds.com/ is a beautifully done website where you can browse and learn about NZ native birds, their habitats and even listen to their songs.