ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Friday, February 18, 2011
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Bears uncouple temperature and metabolism for hibernation, new study shows (February 18, 2011) -- New findings show that although black bears only reduce their body temperatures slightly during hibernation, their metabolic activity drops dramatically, slowing to about 25 percent of their normal, active rates. This feat leads researchers to believe that, in the future, the data collected in this study might be applied to a very wide range of endeavors -- from improving medical care to pioneering deep space travel. ... > full story
Warm weather may hurt thinking skills in people with multiple sclerosis (February 18, 2011) -- People with multiple sclerosis may find it harder to learn, remember or process information on warmer days of the year, according to new research. ... > full story
World's largest lake sheds light on ecosystem responses to climate variability (February 18, 2011) -- Siberia's Lake Baikal, the world's oldest, deepest and largest freshwater lake, has provided scientists with insight into the ways that climate change affects water temperature, which in turn affects life in the lake. ... > full story
Broader psychological impact of 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill (February 18, 2011) -- The explosion and fire on a BP-licensed oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 had huge environmental and economic effects, with millions of gallons of oil leaking into the water for more than five months. It also had significant psychological impact on people living in coastal communities, even in those areas that did not have direct oil exposure, according to researchers. ... > full story
Pollution triggers genetic resistance mechanism in a coastal fish (February 18, 2011) -- For 30 years, two General Electric facilities released about 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls into New York's Hudson River, devastating and contaminating fish populations. Some 50 years later, one type of fish -- the Atlantic tomcod -- has not only survived but appears to be thriving in the hostile Hudson environment. ... > full story
Ozone layer’s future linked strongly to changes in climate, study finds (February 17, 2011) -- The ozone layer -- the thin atmospheric band high-up in the stratosphere that protects living things on Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, not to be confused with damaging ozone pollution close to the ground -- faces potential new challenges even as it continues its recovery from earlier damage, according to a recently released international science assessment. The report also presents stronger evidence that links changes in stratospheric ozone and Earth's climate. ... > full story
Insects hold atomic clues about the type of habitats in which they live (February 17, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that insects contain atomic clues as to the habitats in which they are most able to survive. The research has important implications for predicting the effects of climate change on the insects, which make up three-quarters of the animal kingdom. ... > full story
World's first skyscraper was a monument to intimidation (February 17, 2011) -- An ancient tower at the archaeological site of Tel Jericho was built to exploit the primeval fears of Jericho's residents, according to new findings. "We believe this tower was one of the mechanisms to motivate people to take part in a communal lifestyle," one archeologist says. ... > full story
Scientists discover agave's tremendous potential as new bioenergy feedstock (February 17, 2011) -- A new article reviews the suitability of agave as a bioenergy feedstock that can sustain high productivity in spite of poor soil and stressful climatic conditions accompanying climate change. ... > full story
Global warming may reroute evolution, milkweed research finds (February 17, 2011) -- Rising carbon dioxide levels associated with global warming may affect interactions between plants and the insects that eat them, altering the course of plant evolution, research suggests. ... > full story
Choosing your neighbors: Scientists see how microbes relate in space (February 17, 2011) -- It is now possible to see up to 28 differently labeled microbes in a single field of view, due to a new microscopy technique. ... > full story
Waking up is hard to do: Scientists identify a gene important for the daily rhythms of the sleep-wake cycle (February 17, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a new mechanism in the core gears of the circadian clock. They found the loss of a certain gene, dubbed "twenty-four," messes up the rhythm of the common fruit fly's sleep-wake cycle, making it harder for the flies to awaken. The circadian clock drives, among other things, when an organism wakes up and when it sleeps. While the study was done using Drosophila melanogaster, the findings have implications for humans. ... > full story
Thawing permafrost likely will accelerate global warming, study finds (February 17, 2011) -- Up to two-thirds of Earth's permafrost likely will disappear by 2200 as a result of warming temperatures, unleashing vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, says a new study. ... > full story
Host genetics plays unexpected role in dance with pathogen (February 17, 2011) -- A new study suggests that differences in the host's genetics can make a big difference in susceptibility bacterial infection. Researchers show that the virulence of a strain of Yersinia pestis, notable for causing bubonic plague, varies drastically among mice strains with different genetic backgrounds. These findings carry major implications for vaccine development. ... > full story
Storms, soccer matches hidden in seismometer noise (February 17, 2011) -- Who knew? The chance discovery that spikes in seismometer noise recorded in Africa corresponded with soccer matches has led to the discovery that there's a lot more buried in the noise, including a signal from the famous storms of the Southern Atlantic Ocean, the bane of ships of sail. ... > full story
Why are vines overtaking the American tropics? (February 17, 2011) -- Vines are becoming more abundant in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. This fundamental change in forest structure may have a profound impact on the animals, human communities and businesses that depend on forests for their livelihood. ... > full story
Fossil antelopes shed new light on today's sub-Saharan mammals (February 17, 2011) -- Modern-day Africa south of the Sahara is home to a unique variety of mammals, a great number of which are not found anywhere else in the world. New fossil antelope discoveries have provided a glimpse into the biogeographic configuration of Africa over the last seven million years. ... > full story
Acid oceans demand greater reef care (February 17, 2011) -- The more humanity acidifies and warms the world's oceans with carbon emissions, the harder we will have to work to save our coral reefs. That's the blunt message from a major new study which finds that ocean acidification and global warming will combine with local impacts like overfishing and nutrient runoff to weaken the world's coral reefs right when they are struggling to survive. ... > full story
New romaine lettuce lines launched; Breeding lines prove dieback resistant, show improved shelf life (February 17, 2011) -- Dieback disease caused by soil-borne viruses affects romaine and leaf-type lettuce, often resulting in extensive crop loss. Researchers in California introduced two new romaine breeding lines that proved exemplary in terms of both disease resistance and shelf life. In replicated field trials the two breeding lines showed complete resistance to dieback. Testing of salad-cut lettuce in modified atmosphere packaging indicated slower decay in the two new lines compared with other dieback-resistant romaine varieties. ... > full story
Finding a way to extend tomato shelf-life (February 16, 2011) -- Tomatoes spend so much time on shelves and in refrigerators that an estimated 20 percent are lost to spoilage, according to the US Department of Agriculture. But scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service are working with colleagues at Purdue University to extend the shelf life of tomatoes. The research also may lead to tomatoes that taste better and are more nutritious. ... > full story
Iceland volcano drilling suggests magma could become source of high-grade energy (February 16, 2011) -- Geologists drilling an exploratory geothermal well in 2009 in the Krafla volcano, Iceland, encountered a problem they were unprepared for: magma which flowed into the well at 2.1 kilometers depth, forcing the researchers to terminate the drilling. The research team believes it should be possible to find reasonably shallow bodies of magma elsewhere in Iceland and the world, which would make for attractive sources of high-grade energy. ... > full story
Ultra-fast suction traps leave no chance for prey animals (February 16, 2011) -- Bladderworts (Utricularia spp.) constitute the largest genus of carnivorous plants. They catch and digest prey animals, mainly small crustaceans, with millimetre-sized suction traps. These so-called bladders have fascinated scientists since Darwin's early works on carnivorous plants. Researchers have now investigated the biophysical details of this prey capture mechanism for the first time. ... > full story
New pneumococcal vaccine approach successful in early tests; Vaccine inhibits bacteria by mimicking naturally-acquired immunity (February 16, 2011) -- Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) accounts for as much as 11 percent of mortality in young children worldwide. While successful vaccines exist, they are expensive and only work against specific pneumococcal strains, with the risk of becoming less effective as new strains emerge. Researchers have now developed a new vaccine candidate that is potentially cheaper and able to protect against any pneumococcal strain. ... > full story
Sterility in frogs caused by environmental pharmaceutical progestogens, study finds (February 16, 2011) -- Frogs appear to be very sensitive to progestogens, a kind of pharmaceutical that is released into the environment. Female tadpoles that swim in water containing a specific progestogen, levonorgestrel, are subject to abnormal ovarian and oviduct development, resulting in adult sterility, according to new research. ... > full story
Fossils may look like human bones: Biological anthropologists question claims for human ancestry (February 16, 2011) -- "Too simple" and "not so fast" suggest biological anthropologists about the origins of human ancestry. The anthropologists question the claims that several prominent fossil discoveries made in the last decade are our human ancestors. ... > full story
New way to estimate global rainfall and track ocean pollution (February 16, 2011) -- A new study suggests a new way to estimate how much of the ocean's pollution is falling from the sky. The new findings can help improve scientific understanding of how toxic airborne chemicals, from the burning of fossil fuels and industrial power plants emissions, are impacting the oceans globally. ... > full story
Pheromone increases foraging honey bees, leads to healthier hives (February 16, 2011) -- The application of a naturally occurring pheromone to honey bee test colonies increases colony growth resulting in stronger hives overall, according to a new study. The study comes amid national concern in the U.S. over the existence of honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) -- a combination of events that result in the death of a bee colony. The causes behind CCD remain unknown, but researchers are focusing on four possible contributing factors: disease, pests, environmental conditions and nutrition. ... > full story
Researchers model fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switching: Important step towards cure for blood diseases (February 16, 2011) -- Researchers have engineered mice that model the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin, an important step towards curing genetic blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. ... > full story
Inhaling 'Red Mud Disaster' dust may not be as harmful to health as feared (February 16, 2011) -- Scientists in Hungary are reporting that the potential health effects of last October's Red Mud Disaster, one of the worst environmental accidents in Europe, may be less dangerous than previously feared. Their study concludes that the dust from the mud may be no more harmful than particles of ordinary urban air pollution. ... > full story
Living fast but dying older is possible -- if you're a sheep (February 16, 2011) -- Modern humans may live longer than hunter gatherers, chimpanzees, mountain sheep or the European robin, but what does that tell us about how we age relative to other species? Not much, according to new research, which looks at a new way of comparing how different species age. ... > full story
Lavender oil has potent antifungal effect (February 16, 2011) -- Lavender oil could be used to combat the increasing incidence of antifungal-resistant infections, according to a new study. The essential oil shows a potent antifungal effect against strains of fungi responsible for common skin and nail infections. ... > full story
If greenhouse gas emissions stopped now, Earth would still likely get warmer, new research shows (February 16, 2011) -- As debate continues about potential policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions, new research shows the world is already committed to a warmer climate because of emissions that have occurred up to now. Even if all emissions were stopped now, temperatures would remain higher than pre-Industrial Revolution levels because the greenhouse gases already emitted are likely to persist in the atmosphere for thousands of years. ... > full story
Extinction predictor to help protect coral reefs (February 16, 2011) -- More than a third of coral reef fish species are in jeopardy of local extinction from the impacts of climate change on coral reefs, a new scientific study has found. A new predictive method developed by an international team of marine scientists has found that a third of reef fishes studied across the Indian Ocean are potentially vulnerable to increasing stresses on the reefs due to climate change. ... > full story
Atomic model of tropomyosin bound to actin (February 16, 2011) -- New research sheds light on the interaction between the semi-flexible protein tropomyosin and actin thin filaments. The study provides the first detailed atomic model of tropomyosin bound to actin and significantly advances the understanding of the dynamic relationship between these key cellular proteins. ... > full story
Active harpy eagle nest found in Maya Mountains of Belize (February 16, 2011) -- Biologists are studying what is thought to be the first active harpy eagle nest ever recorded in Belize, where the predatory birds were previously thought to be extinct. ... > full story
Monitoring killer mice from space: Green on satellite images warns of hantavirus outbreaks (February 16, 2011) -- The risk of deadly hantavirus outbreaks in people can be predicted months ahead of time by using satellite images to monitor surges in vegetation that boost mouse populations, a new study says. The method also might forecast outbreaks of other rodent-borne illnesses worldwide. ... > full story
Good diets fight bad Alzheimer's genes: Diets high in fish oil have a beneficial effect in patients at risk, researcher says (February 16, 2011) -- Recent research suggests that a diet high in omega-3 oils and low in cholesterol can significantly reduce the negative affects of the APOE4 gene, which is an indicator of Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story
Two new plants discovered in Spain (February 16, 2011) -- Just when everyone thought that almost every plant species on the Iberian Peninsula had been discovered, Spanish researchers have discovered Taraxacum decastroi and Taraxacum lacianense, two dandelions from the Pyrenees and the Cordillera Cantábrica mountain range, respectively. ... > full story
Uncovering the genome secrets of the Blackleg fungus (February 16, 2011) -- The genome of the Blackleg fungus, which causes the most damaging disease to canola crops worldwide, has been sequenced for the first time. ... > full story
New malaria vaccine depends on … mosquito bites? (February 15, 2011) -- The same menace that spreads malaria -- the mosquito bite -- could help wipe out the deadly disease, according to researchers working on a new vaccine. ... > full story
Method of DNA repair linked to higher likelihood of genetic mutation (February 15, 2011) -- Accurate transmission of genetic information requires the precise replication of DNA. Errors in DNA replication are common and nature has developed several cellular mechanisms for repairing these mistakes. Mutations, which can be deleterious (development of cancerous cells), or beneficial (evolutionary adaption), arise from uncorrected errors. Researchers report that a method by which cells repair breaks in their DNA, known as break-induced replication, is up to 2,800 times more likely to cause genetic mutation than normal DNA synthesis. ... > full story
Sentries in the garden shed: Plants that can detect environmental contaminants, explosives (February 15, 2011) -- Biologists have shown that plants can serve as highly specific sentries for environmental pollutants and explosives. How? By rewiring the plant's natural signaling processes. ... > full story
Science alone does not establish source of anthrax used in 2001 mailings, report finds (February 15, 2011) -- A US National Research Council committee asked to examine the scientific approaches used and conclusions reached by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during its investigation of the 2001 Bacillus anthracis mailings has determined that it is not possible to reach a definitive conclusion about the origins of the anthrax in letters mailed to New York City and Washington, D.C., based solely on the available scientific evidence. ... > full story
Molecular link between reproduction in yeast and humans (February 15, 2011) -- A novel study draws a completely unexpected link between reproductive proteins in humans and proteins involved in fertilization in invertebrates, as well as mating between haploid cells in yeast. Because human and yeast are separated by 1 billion years of evolution, these findings may have important implications for our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sex, and how they originated. ... > full story
Worldwide sulfur emissions rose between 2000-2005, after decade of decline (February 15, 2011) -- A new analysis of sulfur emissions shows that after declining for a decade, worldwide emissions rose again in 2000 due largely to international shipping and a growing Chinese economy. An accurate read on sulfur emissions will help researchers predict future changes in climate and determine present day effects on the atmosphere, health and the environment. ... > full story
Rising seas will affect major US coastal cities by 2100, new research finds (February 15, 2011) -- Rising sea levels could threaten an average of 9 percent of the land within 180 US coastal cities by 2100, according to new research. The research is the first analysis of vulnerability to sea-level rise that includes every US coastal city in the lower 48 with a population of 50,000 or more. The Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts will be particularly hard hit. ... > full story
Genetic evidence that antioxidants can help treat cancer (February 15, 2011) -- Researchers have genetic evidence suggesting the antioxidant drugs currently used to treat lung disease, malaria and even the common cold can also help prevent and treat cancers because they fight against mitochondrial oxidative stress -- a culprit in driving tumor growth. ... > full story
Techniques to manipulate plant adaption in arid climates developed (February 15, 2011) -- By manipulating a specific gene, plant researchers have discovered they can impact lateral root growth. Lateral root development is a highly regulated process that determines a plant's growth and ability to adapt to life in different environmental conditions. ... > full story
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