Jul 25, 2014 06:44 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

An online education company is partnering up with Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan to offer continuing education opportunities.

Through this partnership, Ed4online, an online adult educational content for universities, career training schools, and corporations, will provide online continuing education options and professional development courses to students and local community members seeking to further their education.

Moose saliva may be able to fight against a certain species of toxic grass fungus, according to a recent study.

Researchers from York University in Canada found that moose and reindeer saliva, when applied to red fescue grass -- which host a fungus called epichloë festucae that produces the toxin ergovaline - results in slower fungus growth and less toxicity.

"Plants have evolved defense mechanisms to protect themselves, such as thorns, bitter-tasting berries, and in the case of certain types of grass, by harboring toxic fungus deep within them that can be dangerous or even fatal for grazing animals," researcher Dawn Bazely said in a statement. "We wanted to find out how moose were able to eat such large quantities of this grass without negative effects."

For the study, Bazely and her colleagues set out to test an interesting hypothesis -- whether moose saliva may, in fact, "detoxify" the grass before it is eaten.

They collected samples from moose and reindeer, which they then smeared onto clipped samples of red fescue grass carrying the toxic fungus, simulating the effect of grazing.

The research team found that the application of saliva to the grass over the course of two months, inhibiting fungus growth within 12 to 36 hours.

"We found that the saliva worked very quickly in slowing the growth of the fungus, and the fungus colonies," Bazely said. "In addition, by applying multiple applications of saliva to the grass over the course of two months, we found we could lower the concentration of ergovaline between 41 and 70 percent."

Bazely added that because moose tend to graze within a defined home range, it's possible that certain groups of plants are receiving repeated exposure to the moose saliva, which over time has resulted in fewer toxins within their preferred area.

"We know that animals can remember if certain plants have made them feel ill, and they may avoid these plants in future," Bazely said. "This study the first evidence, to our knowledge, of herbivore saliva being shown to 'fight back' and slow down the growth of the fungus."

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