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This article compares a selection of recent German literary representations of cycling in the context of contemporary discourses of slow travel, with a particular focus on themes of happiness and emotional authenticity. It seeks to expand the framework of discussions of slow travel with a comparative focus on four novels: Der Mann auf dem Hochrad ('The Man on the Penny Farthing', 1984) by Uwe Timm, Im Sommer wieder Fahrrad ('I'll Cycle Again in the Summer', 2016) by Lea Streisand, Im Feld ('In the Field', 2018) by Joachim Zelter and Neujahr ('New Year', 2018) by Juli Zeh. The article surveys the cultural history of cycling, and pays attention to the status of cycling in German society and culture. Drawing on the work of John Day, Valeria Luiselli, Erling Kagge and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it presents a reading of the texts' treatment of cycling as performance within a broader reflection upon slow travel as a nonfunctional, affective and authentic practice is experienced as a contrast to everyday life. Keywords cylcing, cycling in Germany, cycling in literature, German literature, travel writing, slow travel, Uwe Timm, Lea Streisand, Joachim Zelter, Juli Zeh, history of sport, history of leisure, tourism in literature, emotions in literature, happiness in literature, psychology and literature, This article compares a selection of recent German literary representations of cycling, a form of transport that, I shall argue, deserves a place in contemporary discourses of slow travel. As [...]

Both thermally stable states of phytochrome, Pr and Pfr, have been studied by [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N cross-polarization (CP) magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR using cyanobacterial (Cphl) and plant (phyA) phytochrome sensory modules containing uniformly [sup.13]C and [sup.15]N-labeled bilin chromophores. Two-dimensional homo- and heteronudear experiments allowed most of the [sup.13]C chemical shifts to be assigned in both states. Chemical shift differences reflect changes of the electronic structure of the cofactor at the atomic level as well as its interactions with the chromophore-binding pocket. The chromophore in cyanobacterial and plant phytochromes shows very similar features in the respective Pr and Pfr states. The data are interpreted in terms of a strengthened hydrogen bond at the ring D carbonyl. The red shift in the Pfr state is explained by the increasing length of the conjugation network beyond ring C including the entire ring D. Enhanced conjugation within the [pi]-osystem stabilizes the more tensed chromophore in the Pfr state. Concomitant changes at the ring C propionate carboxylate and the ring D carbonyl are explained by a loss of hydrogen bonding to Cph1-His-290 and transmittance of conformational changes to the ring C propionate via a water network. These and other conformational changes may lead to modified surface interactions, e.g., along the tongue region contacting the bilin chromophore. photornorphogenesis | photoreceptors | chromophore-protein interaction phycocyanobilin | solid-state NMR

The chief executive officer (CEO) and board of directors of ExxonMobil, known as Esso in the U.K., made a determined effort between 1998 and 2004 to mislead and deceive the world by conveying a false impression about the truth of climate change. ExxonMobil employed a strategy of disinformation, similar to the campaign used by tobacco firms since the mid-1950s, to create uncertainty over the scientific consensus on global warming.

The complete sequence of the Synechocystis chromosome has revealed a phytochrome-like sequence that yielded an authentic phytochrome when overexpressed in Escherichia coli. In this paper we describe this recombinant Synechocystis phytochrome in more detail. Islands of strong similarity to plant phytochromes were found throughout the cyanobacterial sequence whereas C-terminal homologies identify it as a likely sensory histidine kinase, a family to which plant phytochromes are related. An [approximately equal to] 300 residue portion that is important for plant phytochrome function is missing from the Synechocystis sequence, immediately in front of the putative kinase region. The recombinant apoprotein is soluble and can easily be purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography. Phycocyanobilin and similar tetrapyrroles are covalently attached within seconds, an autocatalytic process followed by slow conformational changes culminating in red-absorbing phytochrome formation. Spectral absorbance characteristics are remarkably similar to those of plant phytochromes, although the conformation of the chromophore is likely to be more helical in the Synechocystis phytochrome. According to size-exclusion chromatography the native recombinant apoproteins and holoproteins elute predominantly as 115- and 170-kDa species, respectively. Both tend to form dimers in vitro and aggregate under low salt conditions. Nevertheless, the purity and solubility of the recombinant gene product make it a most attractive model for molecular studies of phytochrome, including x-ray crystallography.

The biofuels approach endorsed by several countries is seen as ultimately unsustainable by Sweden, which is concentrating on non-food-crop biomass for energy production and fuel, in the form of biogas. The Swedes, instead of sowing biofuel plants that compete for space with food crops, are using waste products, ranging from woodchip to slaughterhouse slurry, and turning them into fuel.

The recent influx of genomic data has provided greater insights into the molecular basis for regressive evolution, or vestigialization, through gene loss and pseudogenization. As such, the analysis of gene degradation patterns has the potential to provide insights into the evolutionary history of regressed anatomical traits. We specifically applied these principles to the xenarthran radiation (anteaters, sloths, armadillos), which is characterized by taxa with a gradation in regressed dental phenotypes. Whether the pattern among extant xenarthrans is due to an ancient and gradual decay of dental morphology or occurred repeatedly in parallel is unknown. We tested these competing hypotheses by examining 11 core dental genes in most living species of Xenarthra, characterizing shared inactivating mutations and patterns of relaxed selection during their radiation. Here we report evidence of independent and distinct events of dental gene loss in the major xenarthran subclades. First, we found strong evidence of complete enamel loss in the common ancestor of sloths and anteaters, suggested by the inactivation of five enamel-associated genes (AMELX, AMTN, MMP20, ENAM, ACP4). Next, whereas dental regression appears to have halted in sloths, presumably a critical event that ultimately permitted adaptation to an herbivorous lifestyle, anteaters continued losing genes on the path towards complete tooth loss. Echoes of this event are recorded in the genomes of all living anteaters, being marked by a 2-bp deletion in a gene critical for dentinogenesis (DSPP) and a putative shared 1-bp insertion in a gene linked to tooth retention (ODAPH). By contrast, in the two major armadillo clades, genes pertaining to the dento-gingival junction and amelogenesis appear to have been independently inactivated prior to losing all or some enamel. These genomic data provide evidence for multiple pathways and rates of anatomical regression, and underscore the utility of using pseudogenes to reconstruct evolutionary history when fossils are sparse.

Chomskian Abstract is a unique video exhibition of Cornelia Parker at the Whitechapel Gallery from 24 February until 30 March. Cornelia Parker is best known in UK for Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View and Art of Darkness and one who is always concerned with fragility and the destructive causality of events.

The Harrisons are activist artists who have a radical vision for lifting the world out of environmental disaster. The Harrisons have worked as collaborators and grew citrus fruits in response to the destruction of local orchids by massive development in Orange County, a plush satellite of Los Angeles

A review of the investigation into the dumping of toxic chemicals by Monsanto into the Brofiscin Quarry during the 1960s reveals that the U.K.'s Environment Agency was found shamefully lacking when faced with the country's biggest environmental crime.

The Brofiscin quarry into the Monsanto's environmental legacy is held due to unavailability of agencies to pay the remediation cost.

More than two million British homeowners are in danger of losing their homes to climate change as insurers threaten to withdraw financial support for properties located on the flood plains of England and Wales.

The Wales Environment Agency's attempts to discredit Douglas Gowan, the expert witness who could help them prosecute chemical manufacturer Monsanto for what is possibly the U.K.'s biggest environmental crime, are discussed.

The article recounts the story of the Brofiscin quarry in the U.K, which dates back to 1967. Douglas Gowan, who worked there as an Assistant Parliamentary Secretary at the National Farmers Union in 1967 describes the events that took place in the same year, and acts as a material witness.

Sir David King, Chief Scientific Adviser to the British Government, discusses about relevant action taken after he stated in 2002 that climate change is a great threat to civilization. He clarifies the perceived inherent contradictions in his role regarding his support for trials of genetically modified potato crops in the U.K. and a realistic projected target for greenhouse gas emissions as opposed to scientists.