Tree of Life Runners Web Notes

Well, I needed a name for little mini tidbits to post on and "Runners" has won the competition. So here is my first "Runners" entry of things from the web that caught my eye this week

• Govt. acknowledges accidents at virus lab. Yes, shocking as it may be to some who believe the government does everything perfectly, they are finally acknowledging some mistakes at the Plum Island Bioweopons/Biodefense research facility.  I note, I think that, while a Bioterror attack is terrifying, I am possibly more worried about things leaking out of research labs than being introduced on purpose.
• Merging bacteria species reverse evolution - evolution. 
• I am not sure I buy this story completely.  It basically is about how two microbe populations that seemed like they were separating are now merging back together.  But some of the researchers involved are very very good so I think it is worth looking at. 
• The World's Smallest Whistle-Blowers, Microbes Warn of Ecological Damage. Forrest Rohwer in the news, again. See Rohwer Lab
• UC Davis News & Information :: Scholars: Open up publishing. Story about Open Access publishing issues associated with UC. Davis.  Oh and I am in it. Oh, and, thanks to Karen Higgins the photographer for making me look much better than reality.
• Bill would safeguard evolution doubters. Florida, being silly. 
• Begley: Blame the Bugs | Newsweek Voices - Sharon Begley.Microbes and xenophobia.
• Genomics and biology come together to fight HIV. Essay by David Goldstein on a new article in PLoS Biology on HIV.  Oh, and David is a co-author of my new Evolution textbook.
• Academy of Sciences names leader, sets fees. Appointment of David Mindell as head of the California Academy of Sciences. 
• Good bacteria and Eli Stone. The Eli Stone episode called "Heartbeat" that showed last week discussed the theory that the appendix is used to repopulate the gut with good bacteria.  This was discussed as an example of how we learn new things in medicine all the time.  Bizarre that this showed up on Eli Stone.  Especially as there seemed to be no evidence for the theory.