The changes to the publication requirements of new names for algae, fungi and plants accepted at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne in July 2011 initiated several important challenges to scientists, publishers and information specialists. To address practical questions arising from the Congress decisions, the open access journal PhytoKeys will publish a series of seven exemplar papers, one each day for the first week of 2012, starting from the 1st of January. The completed journal issue will be printed as an additional, though not mandatory, form of archiving on the 7th of January 2012.

"Electronic-only publishing in botany means that publishers do not need to produce printed versions of their journals to verify that a new name has been effectively published", said Dr Sandra Knapp from the Natural History Museum London, deputy editor of PhytoKeys and one of the authors of the first electronic-only description of a new African species of Solanum (the genus name for tomatoes and many other important plant species), published on the 1st of January 2012. "This important change, however, needs to be supported by strong, responsible practices by both publishers and authors, one of the most important being the proper archiving of the published paper" added Dr Knapp, "It is important to reiterate that these new rules do not mean new names can be published anywhere online; authors and publishers must work together."

"Beyond the mandatory deposition in trusted international electronic archives, such as the open access archive of the National Library of Medicine of the United States, the best possible guarantee for a proper preservation of the published information is open access. This allows an unlimited number of copies to be freely downloaded and stored in different institutional and private archives throughout the world, as well as being available to researchers, particularly in developing countries, who otherwise would not have access to many scientific serials", commented Dr Matt von Konrat from the Field Museum of Chicago, author of a new species of liverwort (closest living descendants of the earliest plants to grow on land) from New Zealand, to be published electronically on the 2nd of January 2012.

Continue reading "Pioneering Electronic Publication of New Plant Species" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNH11ZTT002N, entitled "Research Opportunities in Space Biology." This NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicits hypothesis-driven research proposals for both ground-based experiments and flight experiments in Space Biology (SB). All proposals must describe hypothesis-driven experiments that will answer basic questions about how cells, plants and animals respond to changes in gravity. Proposals for ground-based experiments must demonstrate and describe a clear path to hypothesis testing in space flight experiments on the ISS or other appropriate space flight platforms. This NRA also requests proposals for rapid turn-around flight research using plants or Petri dish-based biological systems that will utilize either the Advanced Biological Research System (ABRS) hardware residing on the International Space Station (ISS) or the Biological Research in Canisters - Petri Dish Fixation Unit (BRIC-PDFU) hardware on any of several potential flight platforms (based on science requirements and availability).

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Posted by Keith Cowing at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Description: This NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicits hypothesis-driven research proposals for both ground-based experiments and flight experiments in Space Biology (SB). This solicitation (NRA NNH11ZTT002N), entitled, "Research Opportunities in Space Biology," will be available on or about September 30, 2011. This solicitation will be found by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and then linking through the menu listings "Solicitations" to "Open Solicitations."

Utilizing 21st century biological tools (e.g., genetic, proteomic, metabolomic), SB scientists will examine and discover underlying mechanisms of adaptation to changes resulting from the space flight environment (e.g., altered gravity, stress, radiation), and will determine cellular and organismal mechanisms that regulate and sustain growth, metabolism, reproduction and development. NASA intends to sponsor studies that will result in new basic knowledge that will provide a foundation on which other NASA researchers and engineers can build approaches and countermeasures to the problems confronting human exploration of space, or that translate into new biological tools or applications on Earth.

All proposals must describe hypothesis-driven experiments that will answer basic questions about how cells, plants and animals respond to changes in gravity. This NRA will solicit proposals for ground-based SB research using cells, tissues, or whole animals that will enhance our understanding of the effects of gravity on the mammalian musculoskeletal system. Proposals for these ground-based experiments must demonstrate and describe a clear path to hypothesis-testing in space flight experiments on the ISS or other appropriate space flight platforms. This NRA also requests proposals for rapid turn-around flight research using plants or Petri dish-based biological systems that will utilize either the Advanced Biological Research System (ABRS) hardware residing on the International Space Station (ISS) or the Biological Research in Canisters - Petri Dish Fixation Unit (BRIC-PDFU) hardware on any of several potential flight platforms (based on science requirements and availability). Applications for flight experiments must demonstrate, using ground-based and/or previous flight research results, that there is a high likelihood of successful completion of any proposed flight experiment.

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Posted by Keith Cowing at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Colleagues:

The Editorial Board of Gravitational and Space Biology is now soliciting two-page reports for publication in the next issue of the Journal. Extended abstracts from those of you who presented posters or talks at the Fall 2010 meeting are especially encouraged, but the invitation is open to any who wish to submit short papers conforming to the 2-page template.

You can submit your reports via the ASGSB web site http://asgsb.org/manuscript/submit.html, where you will find clear and simple instructions. The main criteria for publication will be that the research presented is original and of significant interest to the community of gravitational and space biologists. These reports will be peer reviewed. The deadline for submission is Friday, March 11.

The two-page reports that are accepted will appear in the 2011 issue of the journal, along with solicited review articles. The issue is scheduled for publication in the early Fall.

As many of you know, we are reorganizing the ASGSB web site and the Society's journal, Gravitational and Space Biology. Both represent the face of our Society, and both undertakings will take time to do well - so we thank you for your patience. This issue will be the first to be published entirely in electronic format, but each paper will be able to be downloaded as a pdf from the web site. As a consequence, there are no restrictions to color in figures. In addition, we will be encouraging submissions for cover art from accepted manuscripts.

The value of the journal to ASGSB and to the international gravitational and space biology community depends heavily on the quality and number of articles submitted. We look forward to receiving many high-quality two-page reports that strongly reflect the exciting research represented by the members of our Society.

Best regards,

Anna-Lisa Paul Editor, Gravitational and Space Biology alp@ufl.edu

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once it was established that the spaceflight environment was not a drastic impediment to plant growth, a remaining space biology question was whether long-term spaceflight exposure could cause changes in subsequent generations, even if they were returned to a normal Earth environment. In this study, we used a genomic approach to address this question. We tested whether changes in gene expression patterns occur in wheat plants that are several generations removed from growth in space, compared to wheat plants with no spaceflight exposure in their lineage. Wheat flown on Mir for 167 days in 1991 formed viable seeds back on Earth.

Continue reading "Effects of a Spaceflight Environment on Heritable Changes in Wheat Gene Expression" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB), founded in 1984, provides a forum to foster research, education and professional development in the multidisciplinary fields of gravitational and space biology. We are a diverse group of scientists, engineers and students who exchange ideas that bridge basic and applied biological research in space and gravitational sciences. Our society of ~350 professionals and students from universities, government, and industry represents the core community with a mission to work closely with NASA to create and disseminate knowledge about how living organisms respond to gravity and the spaceflight environment.

This knowledge provides key insights into normal and abnormal cell function and organism physiology that cannot be observed using traditional experimental approaches on Earth, and serves as a venue for breakthrough biomedical and biotechnological discoveries to advance human exploration of space and improve quality of life for the general public. Our mission includes education and outreach to the general public, students and teachers, Congress, NASA and other domestic and foreign governmental agencies. Our community stimulates students to pursue careers in life science, technology, engineering and mathematics and trains the next generation of scientists and bioengineers.

Full text

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With this amendment, the NASA Announcement of Opportunity NNH08ZDA009O, "Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice (SALMON)," is amended to delay the proposal due date for proposals submitted in response to Program Element Appendix H3: Small Complete Missions of Opportunity in Astrobiology and Fundamental Space Biology.

The proposal due date for Small Complete Missions of Opportunity in Astrobiology and Fundamental Space Biology proposals is delayed until early in 2009.

Continue reading "SALMON AO Amendment 2: Delay of Due Date for Small Complete Missions in Astrobiology and Fundamental Space Biology" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Due to the hardship caused by Hurricane Ike to institutions on the Gulf Coast, NASA is again extending the deadline for the NASA Research Announcement NNH08ZTT003N NRA: Research Opportunities for Fundamental Space Biology Investigations in Microbial, Plant and Cell Biology from September 19, 2008 to September 24, 2008.

Posted by Keith Cowing at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear ASGSB members: We have received a Dear Colleague notification from ESA that our joint international meeting is proceeding on schedule. A call will come shortly for abstract submission. This is a rare opportunity to share our research and strengthen our interactions in the global community. Please try to find a way to participate in person at our 24th Annual ASGSB Meeting to demonstrate the collective spirit and importance of international collaboration in space-related science.

Danny A. Riley President, ASGSB, dariley@mcw.edu

Continue reading "ASGSB 2008 Annual Meeting in France" »

Posted by Keith Cowing at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)