The Little Red Barn - Agriculture Update

Hardwood floor coating, pill binder win soy-corn competitions

Two Purdue University student teams won top prizes Tuesday (March 9) for creating new corn- and soy-based products in the 2010 Student Soybean and Corn Innovation Contests.

Intentional variation increases result validity in mouse testing

For decades, the traditional practice in animal testing has been standardization, but a study involving Purdue University has shown that adding as few as two controlled environmental variables to preclinical mice tests can greatly reduce costly false positives, the number of animals needed for testing and the cost of pharmaceutical trials.

Model may offer better understanding of embryonic development

A mathematical model developed at Purdue University can predict complex signaling patterns that could help scientists determine how stem cells in an embryo later become specific tissues, knowledge that could be used to understand and treat developmental disorders and some diseases.

Economy freezing out some grads

Libby Fritz had watched the students graduating before her take full advantage of a robust economy, sifting through their options and sometimes multiple job offers.