Sad news from New Brunswick on Tuesday- Lord Nelson, a police horse who worked at Rutgers University and who later was ridden by the Scarlet Knight mascot at football games, passed away at age 42… Lord Nelson is also the answer to one of the more quirky pieces of trivia: He’s one of the only horses to be penalized during a college football game… Way back in October of 1994, Rutgers faced Army at Giants Stadium. After scoring a touchdown, Rutgers went up 16-14, but here’s what happened before the PAT, according to the New York Times: “Rutgers missed the extra point because of one of its mascots, a horse. Exuberant over what turned out to be the winning touchdown, the rider swept onto the field and rode down the sidelines. That cost the Scarlet Knights 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the kicker, Eddie Duborg, had to try his conversion from 35 yards out. He missed.”
Archives for April 2015
Scientists Pore Over Warm West, Cold East Divide
From blooming flowers to twittering birds, the signs of spring are popping up and the miseries of winter are becoming a distant memory for many. But not for some climate scientists… The curiosity of a growing group of researchers has been piqued by t…
The Hands Have it: Food Safety Through Handwashing
Handwashing is simple. Science says otherwise. Despite endless statements to just wash hands to be safe — in the kitchen, in food service, at the petting zoo- little research has been done to quantify what actually works when it comes to hand washing… Dr. Donald Schaffner, a professor of food safety at Rutgers University, and colleagues, have attempted to add some science to the discussion… “Many people seem to have strongly held opinions about handwashing, says Schaffner, “but the research base for those opinions is lacking. Our research begins to dispels some popular beliefs about hand washing.”… The researchers showed that even a minimal handwash (5 seconds, no soap) can remove about 90 per cent of bacteria on hands.
Rutgers University’s Famed Horse, Lord Nelson Dies at 42
World-renowned equine personality, professor and former mounted patrol horse, Lord Nelson, passed away on April 12 at Gales Way Farm in Wrightstown, N.J. Lord Nelson, who will be remembered as Rutgers University’s only equine professor emeritus, lived a distinguished life, full of adventure, up until the ripe age of 42… His personality is one that Karyn Malinowski, director of the Rutgers Equine Science Center and faculty member in the Department of Animal Sciences, says was “one-of-a-kind.” She remembers one night working late in Bartlett Hall on the Cook campus and all of a sudden hearing a fast-paced gallop coming from the road. Upon looking out the window, she saw Lord Nelson, who remembered to “walk” on the sidewalk and not the street, going back to his stable on College Farm Road followed by a police officer, on foot, in hot pursuit. Apparently he wanted to end his shift early that night… Lord Nelson will also be remembered as the first, and only, horse to ever receive an official football penalty in a NCAA football game. In addition to his time with the student mounted patrol, Nelson also served as the horse that was ridden by the Scarlet Knight at Rutgers football games. During a close game against Army in 1994, Nelson broke onto the field and raced all the way down the sideline to the opposite end of Giants Stadium. Receiving a yellow flag for his “un-sportsHORSE-man like conduct,” he almost cost Rutgers the game.
Grape Polyphenols May Protect Against Metabolic Sx Via Gut
Grape polyphenols (GP) may act in the intestine to protect against metabolic syndrome, according to an experimental study published online April 6 in Diabetes… Dietary polyphenols protect against metabolic syndrome, despite limited absorption and digestion. With this in mind, Diana E. Roopchand, Ph.D., from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and colleagues examined one possible mechanism of action involving gut microbiota. C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) containing 1 percent Concord GP… “These data suggest that GP act in the intestine to modify gut microbial community structure, resulting in lower intestinal and systemic inflammation and improved metabolic outcomes,” the authors write. “The gut microbiota may thus provide the missing link in the mechanism of action of poorly absorbed dietary polyphenols.
Jurassic Park in Real Life: The Race to Modify the DNA of Endangered Animals and Resurrect Extinct Ones
Jurassic Park has a lot to answer for. It made the idea seem so simple. Take the DNA from a microscopic drop of dinosaur blood, preserved for 65 million years in the gut of a mosquito trapped in fossilised amber. Carry out a bit of jiggery-pokery involving chaos theory and Jeff Goldblum. Insert the dino DNA into the yolk of a crocodile’s egg and leave to incubate. Soon you’ll have a thriving menagerie of once-extinct beasts roaming the jungles of someone’s private theme park… De-extinction, or the idea of bringing extinct species back from the dead, has come a long way over the quarter century since Jurassic Park was first published. It has now matured into a quasi-serious science and has even been the subject of its own TEDx conference. Of course, no-one is talking about bringing back dinosaurs- their DNA is lost for good- but some scientists are proposing to resurrect a range of other, more-recently extinct species such as the passenger pigeon and the gastric-brooding frog, both lost within living memory… “If it works, de-extinction will only target a few species and it’s very expensive. Will it divert conservation dollars from true conservation measures that already work, which are already short of funds?” asks David Ehrenfeld, professor of biology at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. “At this moment brave conservationists are already risking their lives to protect dwindling groups of African forest elephants from heavily-armed poachers, and here we are talking about bringing back the woolly mammoth. Think about it.”
Monster ‘Blob’ Blamed for Weather Shifts
A gargantuan blob of warm water that’s been parked off the West Coast for 18 months is part of a larger pattern that helps explain California’s drought, Washington’s snow-starved ski resorts and record blizzards in New England, according to new analyses by Seattle scientists… The researchers aren’t convinced global warming is to blame, which puts them at odds with other experts who suspect Arctic melting upset the “polar vortex” and contributed to the misery on the East Coast the past two winters… Rutgers University research professor Jennifer Francis is among those who argue that Arctic melting destabilizes the wind pattern called the polar vortex, which normally confines frigid air to the planet’s far north. The result is a weakened jet stream with kinks that can deliver extreme weather where it’s not expected… Francis said there’s no doubt ocean temperatures in the tropics play a role, but she thinks Hartmann is wrong to leave the Arctic out of the equation. There’s good evidence that rapid warming near the North Pole intensifies high-pressure ridges, setting the stage for odd and long-lasting weather patterns.
Team of Rutgers Graduate Students Named Finalist in International Business Plan Competition
A team that includes three Rutgers graduate students is one of nine entrepreneurial-minded teams from around the world named finalists in the Licensing Executives Society (LES) Foundation’s 2015 International Graduate Student Business Plan Competition. Winners of this graduate student competition, which “focuses on student business plans that hinge on ground-breaking technologies and that offer sound […]
National 4-H Paper Clover Campaign set for April 22-May 3
National 4-H Council announced the launch of the spring 2015 4-H Paper Clover Campaign in partnership with Tractor Supply Company (TSC). This event marks the sixth year of collaboration between the organizations on the national in-store fundraiser, ben…
After Tambora
Mount Tambora, a volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, was once similar in stature to Mont Blanc or Mount Rainier. But in April 1815 it blew its top off in spectacular fashion. On the 10th and 11th it sent molten rock more than 40 kilometres int…