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MSU Research roundup-Space lab-Montana development-Seedling protector-Stomach bug

Space lab

The solar system is by far the best laboratory for testing
gravitational theories, says Ron Hellings, research professor of
physics at MSU. So if you want to see what gravity is doing, look
into space and measure the positions of the planets. That will help
you determine which scientist proposed the best gravitational
theory, Hellings added. Albert Einstein’s theory is the most widely
accepted, but other scientists have suggested competing
theories. Hellings has a NASA grant to test them. He said his most
accurate information about the positions of planets comes from
spacecraft that either orbit or have landed on a planet.

Montana development

Ever since Congress approved the interstate highway system,
urban development in this country has generally taken place along
new highways, says Richard Hajnosz, adjunct professor of
architecture at MSU. In keeping with that, he recommends that
Montana develop along Interstate 90. The rest of the state should
stay free for agriculture and things like wilderness areas. Billings,
Bozeman and Missoula are the only large cities currently located
along the interstate, so there’s plenty of room for development he
said. Hajnosz added that Montana would be wise to plan now
instead of waiting. Montana could grow by three or four million
people in the next 20 years, he said.

Seedling protector

For canola growers, the challenge is getting a canola plant from
infancy to the teenage years, so to speak. As a seedling, the crop
is vulnerable to flea beetles and fungi, said Bill Grey, an MSU
adjunct assistant professor of plant sciences. Once past that
stage the plants with bright yellow flowers are pretty tough. Grey
is studying treatments that will protect the crop at its earliest
stages from diseases like brown girdling root rot. Canola, grown
and processed for its oil, is a good rotational crop in Montana
because it can break the disease cycles found in small grain fields,
Grey said. The project is funded by the USDA.

Stomach bug

Stomach ulcers, once thought to be caused by stress or spicy
foods, stem from a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. Not all
Helicobacter strains are alike, and some cause more severe gastric
diseases than others. Why is that? Headwaters high school
teacher Elizabeth Olsen will spend this summer and the next trying
to find out. She’ll work in the MSU lab of microbiologist Mike
Franklin sequencing the DNA of a gene that varies widely between
strains. Then she’ll take the lab techniques she learned with
Franklin and share them with her high school students. Called
Partners in Science, the project is funded by the M.J. Murdock
Charitable Trust.

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