Graduate glut spells underused skills and dissatisfaction for many

Public release date: 4-Apr-2013
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Contact: Katie Baker
katie.baker@sagepub.co.uk
44-020-732-48719
SAGE Publications

Los Angeles, CA (April 04, 2013). Graduates are taking up jobs that don't fully use their skills and as a result are causing high turnover for employers, claims new research published today in the journal Human Relations, published by SAGE. The findings raise questions about today's high throughput in university education.

Policy makers in many developed and developing countries envisioned high-value economies supported in part by a highly-skilled and well-paid workforce. As a result, many nations have increased higher education (HE) access, assuming that employers will be able to use this larger bank of skills effectively. However, the number of skilled jobs has not matched the rising number of skilled workers, so that today's higher qualifications no longer guarantee graduates higher earnings, or further opportunities to use and develop knowledge and skills. Many graduates are now employed in 'intermediate' level jobs previously not regarded as graduate jobs.

Belgin Okay-Somerville from the University of Aberdeen and Dora Scholarios from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, have identified five areas where emerging (intermediately skilled) graduate occupations diverge from traditional graduate occupations:

1. "Graduateness" the extent to which skills associated with graduate jobs are used in emerging occupations;
2. How closely a graduate's skills match those required of the job;
3. Job content, in particular job control and opportunity for skill development;
4. Job security; and
5. Pay.

Together these indicators give a benchmark of job quality, which Okay-Somerville and Scholarios examined in a sample drawn from the 2006 UK Skills Survey. Of a sample of 7787 employees, 379 met the criteria for the study. These employees worked in managerial, professional or associate professional occupations, and had 5-15 years' post-degree work experience.

The new, emerging graduate occupations offered inferior skills utilization, job content, job security and pay. Not surprisingly these lower quality jobs, marked out by less opportunity for skill use and job control, led to graduates with lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. No matter what the occupation, job content was the most important factor for satisfaction, commitment and well-being.

There is now an abundance of evidence that a substantial minority of graduates start their careers in non-graduate low-skill, low-pay occupations. Employment in emerging occupations may imply a step up, but does not compare with traditional graduate roles.

"Generally, the findings challenge the equating of job quality with wages at the economic policy-making level, and the high-skills, high-wages agenda, which has been prominent in the UK," says Okay-Somerville. "Acceptance of intermediately skilled jobs as 'graduate occupations' without interventions designed to make better use of graduates' skills may result in 'good jobs going bad' in the graduate labor market."

The authors say their research supports an emphasis on demand-side employer-based policies aimed at job design and work organization, and offers a picture of how graduates themselves perceive various elements of job quality. Active dialogue between employer practice and skills policies should help to create 'good' graduate jobs, and to make 'bad' graduate jobs better.

This research forms part of a Human Relations special issue on job quality which features articles on what is meant by job quality and why it matters to individuals, firms and to national wellbeing, drawing on contributions from international scholars and research.

###

A selection of the articles will be free to access for a limited time here: http://hum.sagepub.com/

Shades of grey: Understanding job quality in emerging graduate occupations by Belgin Okay-Somerville and Dora Scholarios, published April 2013 in Human Relations

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. http://www.sagepublications.com

Human Relations, founded by the Tavistock Institute and the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT is an international peer-reviewed journal, which publishes research designed to build understanding of social relationships at and around work through theoretical development and empirical investigation. The journal values scholarship that examines policy-making options that can improve the well being of employees and the effectiveness of organisations.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 4-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Katie Baker
katie.baker@sagepub.co.uk
44-020-732-48719
SAGE Publications

Los Angeles, CA (April 04, 2013). Graduates are taking up jobs that don't fully use their skills and as a result are causing high turnover for employers, claims new research published today in the journal Human Relations, published by SAGE. The findings raise questions about today's high throughput in university education.

Policy makers in many developed and developing countries envisioned high-value economies supported in part by a highly-skilled and well-paid workforce. As a result, many nations have increased higher education (HE) access, assuming that employers will be able to use this larger bank of skills effectively. However, the number of skilled jobs has not matched the rising number of skilled workers, so that today's higher qualifications no longer guarantee graduates higher earnings, or further opportunities to use and develop knowledge and skills. Many graduates are now employed in 'intermediate' level jobs previously not regarded as graduate jobs.

Belgin Okay-Somerville from the University of Aberdeen and Dora Scholarios from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, have identified five areas where emerging (intermediately skilled) graduate occupations diverge from traditional graduate occupations:

1. "Graduateness" the extent to which skills associated with graduate jobs are used in emerging occupations;
2. How closely a graduate's skills match those required of the job;
3. Job content, in particular job control and opportunity for skill development;
4. Job security; and
5. Pay.

Together these indicators give a benchmark of job quality, which Okay-Somerville and Scholarios examined in a sample drawn from the 2006 UK Skills Survey. Of a sample of 7787 employees, 379 met the criteria for the study. These employees worked in managerial, professional or associate professional occupations, and had 5-15 years' post-degree work experience.

The new, emerging graduate occupations offered inferior skills utilization, job content, job security and pay. Not surprisingly these lower quality jobs, marked out by less opportunity for skill use and job control, led to graduates with lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. No matter what the occupation, job content was the most important factor for satisfaction, commitment and well-being.

There is now an abundance of evidence that a substantial minority of graduates start their careers in non-graduate low-skill, low-pay occupations. Employment in emerging occupations may imply a step up, but does not compare with traditional graduate roles.

"Generally, the findings challenge the equating of job quality with wages at the economic policy-making level, and the high-skills, high-wages agenda, which has been prominent in the UK," says Okay-Somerville. "Acceptance of intermediately skilled jobs as 'graduate occupations' without interventions designed to make better use of graduates' skills may result in 'good jobs going bad' in the graduate labor market."

The authors say their research supports an emphasis on demand-side employer-based policies aimed at job design and work organization, and offers a picture of how graduates themselves perceive various elements of job quality. Active dialogue between employer practice and skills policies should help to create 'good' graduate jobs, and to make 'bad' graduate jobs better.

This research forms part of a Human Relations special issue on job quality which features articles on what is meant by job quality and why it matters to individuals, firms and to national wellbeing, drawing on contributions from international scholars and research.

###

A selection of the articles will be free to access for a limited time here: http://hum.sagepub.com/

Shades of grey: Understanding job quality in emerging graduate occupations by Belgin Okay-Somerville and Dora Scholarios, published April 2013 in Human Relations

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. http://www.sagepublications.com

Human Relations, founded by the Tavistock Institute and the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT is an international peer-reviewed journal, which publishes research designed to build understanding of social relationships at and around work through theoretical development and empirical investigation. The journal values scholarship that examines policy-making options that can improve the well being of employees and the effectiveness of organisations.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/sp-ggs040413.php

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CA-BUSINESS Summary

TSX slips to three-month low as U.S. data drags

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell to its lowest in more than three months on Thursday, led by declines in energy and financial shares, as weak U.S. jobless claims numbers stoked worries about the recovery in the world's biggest economy. Investors also nervously eyed major monetary policy moves, with the Bank of Japan planning to pump more money into the economy and the European Central Bank President saying the ECB was "ready to act."

SNC-Lavalin chairman, three other board members to retire

TORONTO (Reuters) - SNC-Lavalin Group Inc , which has already changed its structure and executive team after a scandal-plagued year, said on Thursday four of its board members, including its chairman, will retire at its annual shareholder meeting. The Montreal-based company said Chairman Gwyn Morgan, along with fellow directors David Goldman, Pierre Lessard and Edythe Marcoux, will step down on May 2, as part of its board renewal process that was outlined in December.

Analysis: U.S. turns to thrift-era fraud law to tackle money laundering

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Justice Department is again testing the reach of a once-dormant civil fraud law, applying it to money laundering after reviving it recently for cases tied to the financial crisis. The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act, passed in 1989 in response to the savings-and-loan crisis, covers fraud that "affects" federally insured financial institutions, a broad category that is increasingly useful to government lawyers.

Exclusive: UBS was mystery lender for Thai group's Ping An buy from HSBC - sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The mystery lender behind a Thai billionaire's $9.4 billion purchase of a stake in China's No.2 insurer was UBS, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, revealing how the bank stepped in at the last minute to offer a complex financing package known only to a few involved. The Swiss bank's financial backing for China's largest ever foreign stock purchase explains how a Thai conglomerate scraped together $7.4 billion in cash for the deal's final payment, after its main lender backed out at the 11th hour.

Ex-Monte Paschi managers hit with five-million-euro fine: sources

FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) - The Bank of Italy has ordered former top executives of Monte dei Paschi di Siena to pay a total of 5 million euros ($6.4 million) for a lack of controls over risky trades at the bank, two sources close to the situation said. The fines were imposed after the Bank of Italy completed a thorough inquiry into risky dealings that forced the Tuscan bank to book hundreds of millions of euros of additional losses.

Telefonica receives $257 million credit line for Blackberry phones

MADRID (Reuters) - Telefonica , Europe's biggest telecoms operator by revenue, has received a 200 million euro ($257 million) financing facility from the Canadian export agency to buy BlackBerry smartphones and services. Export Development Canada (EDC) said the credit line to Telefonica would be used to provide BlackBerry products and services across Telefonica's international operations.

BOJ to pump $1.4 trillion into economy in unprecedented stimulus

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan unleashed the world's most intense burst of monetary stimulus on Thursday, promising to inject about $1.4 trillion into the economy in less than two years, a radical gamble that sent the yen reeling and bond yields to record lows. New Governor Haruhiko Kuroda committed the BOJ to open-ended asset buying and said the monetary base would nearly double to 270 trillion yen ($2.9 trillion) by the end of 2014, a dose of shock therapy officials hope will end two decades of stagnation.

Thousands protest Chevron's shale gas plans in Romania

BARLAD, Romania (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians across the country protested on Thursday against Chevron's plans to explore for shale gas, demanding the country's leftist government withdraw concessions and ban drilling of the U.S. company's first test wells. About 500 rallied in the town of Barlad on the eastern border with Moldova where Chevron has a nearby 1.6 million acre concession, some wearing gas masks, many chanting "Chevron go home."

Samsung to open brand shops in Best Buy stores; Wall Street approves

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is planning to install its brand shops in more than 1,400 Best Buy Co Inc stores this year, a move that some on Wall Street said could help the world's largest consumer electronics chain boost in-store traffic, sales and profitability. The news pushed Best Buy shares up 12.5 percent to $24.36 on Thursday.

Ex-Goldman trader Taylor pleads guilty to wire fraud

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ex-Goldman Sachs Group Inc trader Matthew M. Taylor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to defrauding the Wall Street bank with an unauthorized $8.3 billion futures trade in 2007, saying he exceeded internal risk limits and lied to supervisors to cover up his activities. Taylor, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court in lower Manhattan on Wednesday morning, after voluntarily turning himself into federal authorities earlier in the day.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-003556248--finance.html

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UN condemns targeting of insurgents in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghan officials released harrowing new details on Thursday about an attack in a western province where assailants shot everyone in their path, sending terrified people jumping from windows trying to escape the assailants who killed at least 46 civilians and security forces.

Civilians have frequently been caught up in the fighting between militants and Afghan and U.S.-led combat forces, but the U.N. condemned Wednesday's attack, saying civilians were deliberately targeted at the courthouse and other government offices in Farah province. Two judges, six prosecutors, administration officers and cleaners working at the site were among the dead, the U.N. said.

Also Thursday, NATO reported that an American F-16 fighter jet had crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing the U.S. pilot. The U.S.-led military coalition did not release further details about Wednesday's crash.

"While the cause of the crash is under investigation, initial reporting indicates there was no insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash," the coalition said in a statement.

Illustrating other dangers, an airstrike by U.S.-led forces mistakenly killed four policemen and two brothers as their car was being searched at a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan, an Afghan official said Thursday.

The strike occurred in the Deh Yak district of Ghazni province, according to district chief Fazel Ahmad Toolwak. He said NATO troops were fighting Taliban militants about 10 kilometers (six miles) away, but those killed in the strike were not involved in that battle.

A NATO spokesman, U.S. Army Maj. Adam Wojack, said the international military coalition was looking into the report, adding it "takes all allegations of this type seriously."

According to a recent U.N. report, 2,754 Afghan civilians were killed last year ? down 12 percent from 3,131 killed in 2011. But the number killed in the second half of last year rose, suggesting that Afghanistan is likely to face continued violence as the Taliban and other militants fight for control of the country as foreign forces continue their withdrawal.

The U.N. said the Taliban and other insurgents were responsible for 81 percent of the civilian deaths and injuries last year, while 8 percent were attributed to pro-government forces. The remaining civilian deaths and injuries could not be attributed to either side.

The number of casualties blamed on U.S. and allied forces decreased by 46 percent, with 316 killed and 271 wounded last year. Most were killed in U.S. and NATO airstrikes, although that number, too, dropped by nearly half last year to 126, including 51 children.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Farah, the capital of the province of the same name near the border with Iran.

The hospital in Farah was so overwhelmed with casualties that helicopters had to ferry some of the wounded to other hospitals in nearby areas.

Provincial Gov. Akram Akhpelwak said two more people had died from the attack, raising the death toll to 55 ? 36 civilians, 10 Afghan security forces and nine attackers. More than 100 people also were wounded, he said.

One of the province's members of parliament, Humaira Ayobi, said one elderly man was found hiding in a bathroom, afraid to come out.

"Farah is a city of sadness," she said in a telephone call after attending a funeral for some of the victims. "The stores are closed. There's no traffic in the streets."

The attack began when two suicide bombers detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the courthouse, shattering windows and devastating several buildings. Seven others jumped out of the pickup and ran toward the courthouse and attorney general's office, prompting an eight-hour gunbattle that left many buildings pockmarked from bullets and rocket-propelled grenades.

Ayobi said the attackers went from room to room shooting people, including nearly two dozen people who had taken refuge in a basement. She also said two judges were singled out to be killed in a separate room, and that their bodies were burned.

The attackers were wearing military-style uniforms easily bought in Afghan markets and had painted a pickup in camouflage to disguise it as an Afghan National Army vehicle so it could bypass checkpoints, she said.

An Associated Press photo shows a group of soldiers standing over the body of one of the slain attackers who was lying in a pool of blood and wearing a uniform nearly identical to theirs.

Local officials said Wednesday that they believed the attackers were trying to free 15 Taliban prisoners who were about to stand trial. But Ayobi said the initial target might have been the governor's compound until heavy security there forced the attackers to redirect themselves to the courthouse.

___

Follow Kim Gamel on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kimgamel

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-condemns-targeting-insurgents-afghanistan-185526975.html

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Which Celeb Got Naked with Chelsea Handler This Time?

Chelsea Handler is making celebrity shower fights a thing. Back in October, the late-night host went at it with Sandra Bullock in the Chelsea Lately studio showers. On Wednesday, Handler let the camera into the showers again, where she had a naked mano a mano with Conan O'Brien. The fight involves slapping (with multiple body parts), an argument over a parking space, and a pointed jab at Joan Rivers. Watch the (NSFW) video below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/conan-obrien-got-naked-chelsea-handler-who-should-be-next/1-a-532254?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aconan-obrien-got-naked-chelsea-handler-who-should-be-next-532254

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Painted turtle gets DNA decoded

Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Caroline Arbanas
arbanasc@wustl.edu
314-286-0109
Washington University School of Medicine

Scientists have decoded the genome of the western painted turtle, one of the most abundant turtles on Earth, finding clues to their longevity and ability to survive without oxygen during long winters spent hibernating in ice-covered ponds.

Understanding the natural mechanisms turtles use to protect the heart and brain from oxygen deprivation may one day improve treatments for heart attacks or strokes, the researchers say. Both can lead to severe disability or death within minutes in patients deprived of oxygen.

The research team includes scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the University of California at Los Angeles, St. Louis University and other institutions. Their analysis is now available online in Genome Biology.

The new data confirm that the turtles' pace of evolution parallels their speed on the ground. In other words, it's exceedingly slow, about one-third of the rate of human evolution and one-fifth the rate of the fastest evolving python.

In fact, turtles have evolved a distinctive body design that has changed little over the past 210 million years, the authors note. Unlike other reptiles, turtles sport a sharp beak instead of teeth and live encased in a hard shell, a convenient home in which to hide when danger lurks.

"Turtles are nothing short of an enigma," says senior author Richard K. Wilson, PhD, director of Washington University's Genome Institute. "They may be slowly evolving, but turtles have developed an array of enviable features. They resist growing old, can reproduce even at advanced ages, and their bodies can freeze solid, thaw and survive without damaging delicate organs and tissues. We could learn a lot from them."

The western painted turtle lives in freshwater ponds and streams and is the most widespread turtle in North America. It holds the distinction of being the first turtle and only the second reptile to have its genome sequenced. Comparing the turtle's DNA to that of other animals, the scientists show that turtles are more closely related to birds than to lizards and snakes.

A close look at the turtle genome reveals that these creatures do not rely on novel genes for their unique physiological adaptions, such as the ability to withstand oxygen deprivation. Rather, they activate gene networks common to most vertebrates, including humans, but use those genes in different ways.

"This is a backdoor route for turtles to evolve," says co-author Patrick Minx, of The Genome Institute. "Rather than evolve new genes, they adapted existing genes for new uses."

For example, the scientists identified 19 genes in the brain and 23 in the heart that are activated in low-oxygen conditions, including one gene, APOLD1, whose expression is increased nearly 130 fold. These genes also are present in humans and may be important candidates to explore for treatments to reduce tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation.

Like other turtles, painted turtles are slow to age and are known for their long life spans. They become sexually mature at about 5 years of age and can live for 40 or more years in the wild. While impressive, some other turtle species don't reach sexual maturity until their 40s and can live for well over a century.

Indeed, it is the long lapse of time from one generation to the next that is at the root of turtles' slow evolution. Living longer gives them fewer opportunities to evolve, Minx says.

The researchers also identified common patterns of gene loss in the turtle associated with longevity, sex determination and a lack of teeth, findings that warrant further investigation.

One aspect of turtle evolution that is progressing rapidly is their threat of extinction. As many as half the 330 turtle species worldwide are considered threatened, making them the most endangered major group of vertebrates on a global scale. Their demise is due, in part, to human consumption, encouraged by unsubstantiated but persistent claims that eating turtles can increase life expectancy and cure cancer.

Habitat loss and modification are also important, but it is turtles' popularity on restaurant menus and dinner tables, particularly in Asia, that is the biggest reason for their global decline, the researchers say.

"The challenge is to preserve the rich diversity of turtles that still exist on Earth as we continue to unravel their secrets for success," says first author H. Bradley Shaffer, PhD, of the University of California at Los Angeles. "Turtles have a tremendous amount to tell us about evolution and human health, but time is running out."

###

The research was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Shaffer HB, Minx P, Warren DE, Warren WC, Mardis ER, Wilson RK et al. The western painted turtle genome, a model of the extreme physiological adaptions in a slowly evolving lineage. Genome Biology. March 28, 2013.

Washington University School of Medicine's 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Caroline Arbanas
arbanasc@wustl.edu
314-286-0109
Washington University School of Medicine

Scientists have decoded the genome of the western painted turtle, one of the most abundant turtles on Earth, finding clues to their longevity and ability to survive without oxygen during long winters spent hibernating in ice-covered ponds.

Understanding the natural mechanisms turtles use to protect the heart and brain from oxygen deprivation may one day improve treatments for heart attacks or strokes, the researchers say. Both can lead to severe disability or death within minutes in patients deprived of oxygen.

The research team includes scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the University of California at Los Angeles, St. Louis University and other institutions. Their analysis is now available online in Genome Biology.

The new data confirm that the turtles' pace of evolution parallels their speed on the ground. In other words, it's exceedingly slow, about one-third of the rate of human evolution and one-fifth the rate of the fastest evolving python.

In fact, turtles have evolved a distinctive body design that has changed little over the past 210 million years, the authors note. Unlike other reptiles, turtles sport a sharp beak instead of teeth and live encased in a hard shell, a convenient home in which to hide when danger lurks.

"Turtles are nothing short of an enigma," says senior author Richard K. Wilson, PhD, director of Washington University's Genome Institute. "They may be slowly evolving, but turtles have developed an array of enviable features. They resist growing old, can reproduce even at advanced ages, and their bodies can freeze solid, thaw and survive without damaging delicate organs and tissues. We could learn a lot from them."

The western painted turtle lives in freshwater ponds and streams and is the most widespread turtle in North America. It holds the distinction of being the first turtle and only the second reptile to have its genome sequenced. Comparing the turtle's DNA to that of other animals, the scientists show that turtles are more closely related to birds than to lizards and snakes.

A close look at the turtle genome reveals that these creatures do not rely on novel genes for their unique physiological adaptions, such as the ability to withstand oxygen deprivation. Rather, they activate gene networks common to most vertebrates, including humans, but use those genes in different ways.

"This is a backdoor route for turtles to evolve," says co-author Patrick Minx, of The Genome Institute. "Rather than evolve new genes, they adapted existing genes for new uses."

For example, the scientists identified 19 genes in the brain and 23 in the heart that are activated in low-oxygen conditions, including one gene, APOLD1, whose expression is increased nearly 130 fold. These genes also are present in humans and may be important candidates to explore for treatments to reduce tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation.

Like other turtles, painted turtles are slow to age and are known for their long life spans. They become sexually mature at about 5 years of age and can live for 40 or more years in the wild. While impressive, some other turtle species don't reach sexual maturity until their 40s and can live for well over a century.

Indeed, it is the long lapse of time from one generation to the next that is at the root of turtles' slow evolution. Living longer gives them fewer opportunities to evolve, Minx says.

The researchers also identified common patterns of gene loss in the turtle associated with longevity, sex determination and a lack of teeth, findings that warrant further investigation.

One aspect of turtle evolution that is progressing rapidly is their threat of extinction. As many as half the 330 turtle species worldwide are considered threatened, making them the most endangered major group of vertebrates on a global scale. Their demise is due, in part, to human consumption, encouraged by unsubstantiated but persistent claims that eating turtles can increase life expectancy and cure cancer.

Habitat loss and modification are also important, but it is turtles' popularity on restaurant menus and dinner tables, particularly in Asia, that is the biggest reason for their global decline, the researchers say.

"The challenge is to preserve the rich diversity of turtles that still exist on Earth as we continue to unravel their secrets for success," says first author H. Bradley Shaffer, PhD, of the University of California at Los Angeles. "Turtles have a tremendous amount to tell us about evolution and human health, but time is running out."

###

The research was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Shaffer HB, Minx P, Warren DE, Warren WC, Mardis ER, Wilson RK et al. The western painted turtle genome, a model of the extreme physiological adaptions in a slowly evolving lineage. Genome Biology. March 28, 2013.

Washington University School of Medicine's 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/wuso-h040313.php

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Muppets matriarch Jane Nebel Henson dies at age 78

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jane Nebel Henson, the former wife of Muppets creator Jim Henson who was influential in the creation of the popular U.S. TV puppet program, died on Tuesday following a long bout with cancer, The Jim Henson Company said. She was 78 years old.

Henson, who died at her home in Connecticut, was an "integral creative and business partner" in the Muppets, the company, owned by the Hensons' five children, said in a statement.

Jane Henson, born in Queens, New York, in 1934, was an early puppeteer, as well as puppet designer for the Muppets, best known for characters Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, who starred in numerous television programs and films.

She first met Jim Henson in puppetry class at the University of Maryland in the mid-1950s and the two went on to create together the five-minute television program "Sam and Friends," a precursor to the Muppets.

The show served as a lead-in to "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" news show and "The Tonight Show Starring Steve Allen" on a Washington, D.C., NBC affiliate.

Although Henson stopped working as a puppeteer to raise her children in the early 1960s, she was still responsible for recruiting top talent and performing on occasion on the children's show "Sesame Street."

Henson legally separated from her husband in 1986 prior to his death. She later founded The Jim Henson Legacy to promote his work. She is survived by her five children.

Jim Henson died in 1990 of organ failure following a bacterial infection at age 53.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, Editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/muppets-matriarch-jane-nebel-henson-dies-age-78-124650838.html

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AT&T to offer 16GB Samsung Galaxy S 4 for $200, 32GB for $250

Interesting timing, AT&T: just a day after the HTC One pricing was announced, the carrier has clarified its launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy S 4. We already knew the phone would be available on pre-order for $250 on April 16th, but AT&T has now specified that this will be for the 32GB model; the 16GB flavor will actually be $200, both with two-year commitments. This certainly doesn't help HTC's hopes of conquering the world, though the $200 One will hold twice as much internal storage as the GS 4 (although Samsung's flagship at least offers expandable memory, whereas the One does not). AT&T still hasn't announced an official release date, so that's the last remaining piece of the puzzle yet to be revealed.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/2DeWvra_54k/

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