Science & Technology Archives

Mizzou researcher finds unique phenomenon between bees and 2017 total eclipse

October 19, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

Biological sciences professor Candace Galen says bees were silent as the Earth fell into complete darkness during last year’s historic eclipse. As the eclipse passed overhead, MU researchers, including scientists, volunteers and elementary school students and teachers in Missouri, Idaho and Oregon, including over 200 elementary school students and teachers from Columbia Public Schools, gathered audio data on the behavior of bees.

Photos courtesy of the University of Missouri

“Getting dark in the middle of the day is not something that happens in a bee’s normal life,” she says. “It’s a behavioral miscue. Here darkness is a cue for night, that a bee is familiar with, but it’s coming at the wrong time of the day. Did they use it as a cue or not, even if it is completely out of context? What we found is yes, they do.”

Tiny microphones the size of a USB flash drive were placed at 16 locations with bee-pollinated flowers that were away from human-generated traffic.

Earlier research on bee behavior has found that bees usually fly slower at dusk and return to their colonies at night. In Galen’s study, researchers discovered that bees completely stopped buzzing during totality, but they continued to fly during the periods of reduced light that occur in the phases of a partial eclipse.

“It’s a soundscape,” Galen says. “What we have is a buzz that is longer. Either the bees were flying more slowly or making longer flights.”

A grant from the American Astronomical Society helped to fund the study.

Missouri sheriff, on Robert Brashers: “He is a serial rapist and a serial killer, but no more”

October 5, 2018 By Brian Hauswirth

(Sound from the New Madrid County news conference is courtesy of Missourinet television partner KFVS)

Missouri state troopers say a now-deceased serial killer was responsible for the 1998 killings of a mother and daughter in southeast Missouri’s Portageville, as well as the gruesome rape and murder of a South Carolina woman in 1990.

Suspected serial killer Robert Brashers died in 1999 (photo courtesy of the Missouri State Highway Patrol)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) joined New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens for a Friday morning news conference, to make the announcement.

Sheriff Stevens describes the murders of 38-year-old Sherri and 12-year-old Megan Scherer as one of the most heinous crimes in New Madrid County history.

“No telling how many hours have been put into this investigation,” Stevens says. “I have no doubt in my mind that this is the most heavily investigated case this county has ever seen.”

Stevens says a serial killer named Robert Brashers is responsible for all three murders, including the South Carolina death.

He says Brashers killed himself during a 1999 standoff with law enforcement officers in the Bootheel town of Kennett.

During that standoff, Kennett police learned that Brashers had active warrants from an April 12, 1998 incident in Paragould, Arkansas, where he had been arrested for trying to break into the home of a single woman.

That April incident was about two weeks after Sherri and Megan Scherer had been killed.

Missouri state troopers are crediting a DNA technology company called Parabon for helping to solve the Scherer murders.

Sheriff Stevens says Parabon’s technology identified Brashers as the suspect.

“Make no mistake about this gentleman, he is a serial rapist and a serial killer, but no more,” Stevens told reporters at the New Madrid County Courthouse.

Investigators say Brashers’ remains were exhumed on September 27, pursuant to a court order. They say that additional DNA samples were collected and that lab testing confirmed that Brashers’ DNA matched the suspect DNA in the Portageville murders, the 1990 South Carolina murder and the 1997 rape of a 14-year-old Tennessee girl.

As Sheriff Stevens and Missouri state troopers held their Friday morning news conference, law enforcement officers in Greenville, South Carolina held a separate news conference.

The “Greenville News” notes that Brashers was convicted of attempted second degree murder in 1986 in Florida, and served just three-and-a-half years in prison before being released in 1989.

Less than a year after being released from prison, Greenville Police Chief Ken Miller says Brashers killed 28-year-old Genevieve Zitricki.

“He attacked her as she slept,” Chief Miller told South Carolina reporters on Friday. “He bludgeoned her, strangled her and sexually assaulted her.”

The “Greenville News” reports authorities in multiple states are now taking a closer look at Brashers in other cold cases.

The murder cases were profiled on “America’s Most Wanted.”

DDCC Sergeant Shawn Griggs praises what he describes as a coordinated effort between multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, all working together to bring resolution to the victims’ families.

Griggs notes that Missouri state troopers have been in contact with the Scherer family.

Missouri’s Nobel prize winner expected a call from Sweden, but not for the reason you might think

October 4, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

University of Missouri professor George Smith says he and his science friends like to play pranks. A standard prank among them is to call each other in the middle of the night – with a Swedish accent – and say they’ve won a Nobel prize. During a press conference to recognize Smith as the latest winner, he says he knew Wednesday’s phone call was the real deal.

Retired University of Missouri professor George Smith wins the 2018 Nobel Prize for chemistry, along with two other researchers

“I kind of knew it wasn’t any of my friends because the connection was so terrible. Sweden is a really advanced country, but I think that they need some work on their phones,” he says.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded Smith and two other researchers this year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry by “harnessing the power of evolution”. Smith becomes the first University of Missouri professor ever to win the honor.

In 1993, Frances Arnold of Caltech in Pasadena conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. She has refined the methods now routinely used to create new catalysts. The uses of Arnold’s enzymes include more environmentally-friendly manufacturing of chemical substances, such as pharmaceuticals, and the production of renewable fuels.

In 1985, Smith developed a method to evolve new proteins. He says he worked on the prize-winning technique for not quite 10 years.

Gregory Winter of the MRC molecular biology lab in Cambridge, England used Smith’s phage display for the directed evolution of antibodies, with the goal of producing new pharmaceutical drugs. It is used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel diseases. The technique can also lead to the discovery of antibodies that can neutralize toxins, combat metastasized cancers and fend off autoimmune diseases.

Smith, who is now retired, was a professor in the Division of Biological Sciences for about 40 years.

During Wednesday’s announcement, Smith displayed humor, modesty and generosity by thanking the university and his co-winners for “winning him the Nobel prize”.

“Think of science as a web of influence and so on and one particular person is in the middle,” he says. “That particular person can’t take full credit for it. You just have to realize that person is a stand in, is a representative of a whole field of knowledge.”

He says science doesn’t work by “picking winners”, deciding which person will make a big breakthrough and a lot of money.

“That’s not how science works,” he says. “Science is a big community of people that are engaged in their work and in their teaching. Someone like me can flourish at Mizzou and I think that’s something Mizzou should be proud of – of nurturing that kind of intellectual community.”
He says he hopes the honor will lead to better things for Mizzou.

“Let’s hope that the hard times that we have lived through for the last couple of years will be a little less hard times,” he says.

Smith has also received $250,000 as part of his prize. He says his family plans to donate the money in a way that would indirectly honor the award.

For the first time in history, a University of Missouri professor wins Nobel prize

October 3, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences says a longtime Mizzou professor and two other researchers have been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry by “harnessing the power of evolution”. According to the MU News Bureau, George Smith becomes the first University of Missouri professor ever to win the honor.

Photos courtesy of the University of Missouri

The science organization says the 2018 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry have “taken control of evolution and used it for purposes that bring the greatest benefit to humankind”.

Frances Arnold of Caltech in Pasadena gets half of the $1.01 million prize for work leading to the development of new biofuels and pharmaceuticals. Smith and Gregory Winter of the MRC molecular biology lab in Cambridge, England split the other half.

In 1993, Arnold conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. She has refined the methods now routinely used to create new catalysts. The uses of Arnold’s enzymes include more environmentally-friendly manufacturing of chemical substances, such as pharmaceuticals, and the production of renewable fuels.

In 1985, Smith developed a method known as phage display, a virus that infects bacteria, can be used to evolve new proteins.

Winter used Smith’s phage display for the directed evolution of antibodies, with the goal of producing new pharmaceuticals. The first one based on this method was approved in 2002 and is used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel diseases. Since then, phage display has produced anti-bodies that can neutralize toxins, counteract autoimmune diseases and cure metastatic cancer.

Smith, who is now retired, was a Mizzou professor for about 40 years in the Division of Biological Sciences.

Summit draws election officials, Homeland Security Secretary to Missouri

September 10, 2018 By Missourinet Contributor

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was in the St. Louis area on Monday. Neilsen spoke at the Election Security Summit being held at World Wide Technology in Marylands Heights.

Summit draws election officials, Homeland Security Secretary to Missouri

She said while the Russian government made a “blazon” attempt to interfere in the 2016 elections, “we have no evidence that votes were altered.”

“Any attempt to interfere with our election, successful or unsuccessful is a direct attack on our democracy.” said Neilsen.

Missouri Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft is joining a bipartisan group of 25 Secretaries of State and other election officials from across the country for the two-day summit.

“With heightened scrutiny of election security, we want to provide the assurance that – as always – state election authorities are leading the way, and we continue to work together to protect elections,” Ashcroft said. “We are bringing together officials at each level of government to come away with useable, actionable takeaways to continue securing elections.”

Other Secretaries of State that will be in attendance include Kyle Ardoin (LA), Barbara Cegavske (NV), Matt Dunlap (ME), Tre Hargett (TN), Rolando Pablos (TX), Paul Pate (IA), Maggie Toulouse Oliver (NM), Mac Warner (WV) and Kim Wyman (WA).

Story by Missourinet contributor Jill Enders

Ivanka Trump visits St. Louis area to discuss workforce development

August 8, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

Ivanka Trump is touring the country to unite academic, business, and political leaders in a series of workforce development roundtable discussions. During a visit today at Lewis and Clark Community College near St. Louis, she says the nation’s low unemployment rate is creating an unprecedented climate.

Ivanka Trump speaks to hundreds of U.S. Steel workers in Granite City, IL on July 26, 2018

Ms. Trump wants to connect unemployed and underemployed Americans with the training necessary to fill skilled jobs in growing industries.

“For the first time in history, we actually have more job vacancies than unemployed people,” she says. “There’s skills mismatched that exist. What can we do about it?”

She says the federal government is going to reconcile workforce programs to make them more accountable and think holistically about the role of education through the lifecycle of American workers.

“I think as a federal government, we are not very good, typically, at training. But we can leverage the knowledge of the private sector. We can say be our partner and help us do better,” Trump says. “Help us amplify the issue. Help us think about ways that we can be creative. Help us leverage technology, for example, to create better transparency for our students and our workers across the country.”

Ms. Trump cites the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics saying the country has 6.6 million vacant jobs.

“They can tell you the industries they are in, but they can’t tell you geographically where those jobs are located and they can’t tell you the underlying skillsets required to fill those jobs,” she says.

Trump goes on to say the U.S. is experiencing historic low unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women and the disabled.

Todd Sauter contributed to this story.

Southwest Missouri wireless company to build $8 million headquarters, add 135 new jobs

June 6, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

Springfield-based Russell Cellular is creating 135 new jobs in the southwest Missouri region and building a new eight-million dollar corporate headquarters there. According to a press release from the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the additional jobs and 40,000 square foot site will be created over the next five years. Nathan Mindeman, Vice President of Sales Operations, tells Missourinet the job openings will be in a variety of departments, including human resources, payroll, IT support and operations.

Southwest Missouri wireless company is expanding

Chamber economic development staff worked with company leaders as they narrowed down possible locations for the expansion and helped the company access state incentives from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Along with partners at Greene County and the City of Battlefield, the Chamber also connected Russell Cellular to various community resources to ensure the company’s capital investment and job creation remained in the Springfield region.

“We know that nationally, the majority of all new jobs are created by existing businesses in a community, and Russell Cellular’s expansion is a great example of that,” says Ryan Mooney, the Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development. “We know they could decide to grow in lots of different places in their expanding territory, but we applaud their decision to create these kinds of high-wage jobs right here in our region. We will continue to focus on creating a vibrant community that makes headquarters operations like this possible here.”

In 1993, Jeff Russell left a career in farming to start selling wireless phones from the trunk of his car. One year later, he launched Russell Cellular’s first corporate office in Springfield. Today, the company operates more than 400 stores in 30 states and employs more than 1,700 people with about 150 of those being Missouri workers.

Eastern Missouri electronic payment company to add roughly 300 jobs

May 7, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

Photos courtesy of Square Inc.

A St. Louis financial services firm is creating an additional 300 jobs. Square Inc. manufactures an electronic credit card payment system used to connect through things like a tablet or mobile phone.

The company was founded in 2009 by St. Louisans Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey.

“Square is proud to be from St. Louis and thrilled to expand our presence here, where we’ve exceeded our growth expectations thanks to the wealth of local talent,” says McKelvey. “St. Louis is home to tens of thousands Square sellers and we’re thankful for the support of our city and state partners in furthering their growth. We’re excited for what’s ahead.”

Square has more than 240 employees at two locations in St. Louis and has grown rapidly within that space, exceeding original plans according to Square officials.

Missouri judge continues to weigh request to dismiss prosecutor in felony case against Greitens

April 25, 2018 By Missourinet Contributor

St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison is considering a request to disqualify St. Louis prosecutors in a second criminal case involving Gov. Eric Greitens. The governor’s defense team argues that the special investigator, William Don Tisaby, who was hired by the circuit attorney lied repeatedly in Greitens’ felony invasion of privacy case, all under St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s watch. During Tuesday’s court hearing, the defense claims this has tainted Gardner’s ability to prosecute a felony computer data tampering case against Greitens. The defense wants a special prosecutor assigned to the case.

St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner

The prosecution argues that Tisaby’s involvement in the computer data tampering case has been minimal.

The judge made no ruling but told attorneys to submit a list to him of potential special prosecutors.

On Friday, Gardner, a Democrat charged Greitens by complaint with computer tampering, which is like electronic theft. The charge stems from the governor’s alleged attempt to take and use a donor list from his former charity – The Mission Continues – without the permission of charity officials.

Last year, Greitens paid a $100 penalty after admitting he received the donor list. The donor information was used to bankroll the governor’s political campaign.

Greitens, a Republican, has criticized Gardner’s second charge against him by saying Gardner will use any charge she can to smear him. He is scheduled to go on trial May 14 for a felony invasion of privacy charge.

By Alisa Nelson and Missourinet contributing reporter Jill Enders

Missouri Legislature is asked to recognize pornography as a public health risk

April 24, 2018 By Alisa Nelson

A Columbia man says his pornography addiction led him to become suicidal in 1992. Art Dyer, a chaplain at the MU Health Center in Columbia, says he supports a proposed Missouri Senate resolution that would declare pornography as a public health crisis.

Missouri Senate

“I had a secret addiction to pornography, which my wife did not know about. But, the secret life created such conflict within me that I became discouraged,” says Dyer. “It was only through talking to her, working it out and a lot of counseling, a lot of therapy, that I was able to deal with my addiction.”

For the past seven years, Dyer has been working to help those to come out of sexual addiction. He says he’s amazed at how many young people who are having relationship difficulties with the women in their lives because of pornography.

Bev Ehlen with Concerned Women for America of Missouri says she supports the resolution that would also acknowledge the need for education, prevention and policy changes about pornography.

“It’s not your grandpa’s Playboy or detective magazine with the onslaught of internet pornography,” she says.

Ehlen goes on to say 20% of pornography is child rape.

Heather Sparks of eastern Missouri’s St. Charles County says pornography is used as a training manual for sex trafficking.

“Traffickers and sex-spirers get ideas from porn and make their victims watch as a way of showing them what they’ll be expected to do,” Sparks says.

No one spoke in opposition to the resolution that contends pornography perpetuates “a sexually toxic environment” and contributes “to the hypersexualization of teenagers and children before they hit puberty. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar.