Scientific American - 09.2019

(Darren Dugan) #1

ADVANCES


18 Scientific American, September 2019


JODY BANKS

Purdue University

BOTANY


Arsenic-


Eating Fern


The plant’s genes hint at ways


to clean up soil and water


Arsenic-contaminated groundwater
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ä ̧­xš ̧ÿžî̧³îž³øxäî ̧îšßžþxÍ5šx ­xšD³žä­Uxšž³läî ̧§xßD³xšDä § ̧³Uxx³DUž ̧šx­žD§Çøąą§xÍ Now plant researchers Jody Banks D³l šD ̧ DžjU ̧îšDî0øßløx7³žþxßäžîāj D³lîšxžß ̧§§xDøxäšDþxxĀǧDž³xl
š ̧ÿžîšDÇÇx³äÍ
āäǧžž³îšx…xß³Üä genes into other plants, Banks says, Už ̧x³ž³xxßä­žšî ̧³xlDāšDß³xää žîäDUž§žîžxäî ̧šx§Ç§xD³øÇ` ̧³îD­ž
nated areas.


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track the proteins these genes encode in
the species, reconstructing how the pro-


teins work together to collect and neu-
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žîî ̧`šx­ž`D§§āUž³lDßäx³DîxÍ ³ ̧îšxß
protein called OCT4, encoded by one
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lished in May in Current Biology.
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son in an arsenic-tolerant bacterial species,
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îšDîDßäx³Dîxžäî ̧Āž`ÍÚ Rachel Berkowitz

PUBLIC HEALTH

Mapping HIV


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to patients is a challenge. Now researchers
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The study could help authorities better tar-
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author Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, an assistant
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Dwyer-Lindgren and her colleagues
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Pteris vittata, a species of brake fern
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