Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe CELL RESEARCH TAKES BIG STEP The University of Minnesota reports that researchers there have "coaxed" bone marrow cells, taken from an adult, into become functioning liver cells. The school says it conducted the experiment in an effort to see if ongoing research into so-called stem-cell mutation could form building blocks for future medical progress. Advertisement The director of the school's Stem Cell Institute, Catherine Verfaillie, is quoted in the Journal of Clinical Investigation as saying that it is possible to use cells from the living bone marrow of adults. In the past, much stem-cell research has been conducted on tissues from fetal material, sparking an acrimonious debate. Verfaillie, though, tells the publication that it's too early to say if the use of adult tissue will have the same results as research that is being carried out on embryonic material. TRUST YOUR AQUARIUM, WATCH WHAT YOU EAT Advertisement Researchers at one of the neatest tourist attractions on the West Coast say that people who love seafood should use more care than usual in deciding what should be on their menu. The San Jose Mercury newspaper quotes experts at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They have issued a new set of seafood guidelines. The list covers nearly 60 commonly available seafood types that are found in waters on the American West Coast. The guidelines say that salmon caught by fishermen in traditional ways is superior to that now grown in "farms" and could be safer to eat. That's good news for many Native American fishermen in the Northwest who see farm-raised salmon as a growing threat. The reason for concern about that type of salmon is that experts say the fish are often raised in surroundings that are much more polluted than the ocean. PARDON OUR MELEE. WE WON'T DO IT AGAIN Here's something you don't see very often. A sporting event that got so raucous that the league decided that no one won. The New Orleans Times-Picayune says that is what the leaders of the National Indoor Football League have decided after a wild melee resulted in the suspension of a game between the Winston-Salem Energy and the Bayou Bucks, based in Houma, La. Advertisement The general manager of the Louisiana team has issued a formal apology. No arrests were made and no serious injuries resulted. Houma police, though, were called in to restore order. The brawl lasted more than 15 minutes. Five players were ejected from the game. SHADES OF 'SILENT RUNNING' Remember the movie "Silent Running" where NASA had a space station that was a floating greenhouse? Well, according to the Honolulu Advertiser, two students from the 50th state say it's time to send a greenhouse to Mars, along with robots to take care of it. (Shades of Huey, Louie and Dewey). The project was submitted as part of a national competition staged by NASA to spark interest among young people in space exploration and space research. The idea involves the landing of the greenhouse on the surface of the red planet about half a year before astronauts would be scheduled to arrive. The students chose tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, potatoes, soybeans and wheat as being easiest to grow and providing the best potential for nourishment for space travelers. Where's Bruce Dern when you need him?
