ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Tuesday, February 22, 2011
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Carbon sink at South Pole has grown recently, historical collections reveal (February 22, 2011) -- By studying collections of a marine bryozoan that date back to a famous 1901 expedition to the South Pole, researchers have found that those organisms were growing steadily up until 1990, when their growth more than doubled. The data provide the highest-latitude record of a century of growth and some of the first evidence that polar carbon sinks may be increasing. ... > full story
Careful cleaning of children's skin wounds key to healing, regardless of antibiotic choice (February 22, 2011) -- When it comes to curing skin infected with the antibiotic-resistant bacterium MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), timely and proper wound cleaning and draining may be more important than the choice of antibiotic, according to a new study. ... > full story
Antifungal compound found on tropical seaweed has promising antimalarial properties (February 22, 2011) -- A group of chemical compounds used by a species of tropical seaweed to ward off fungus attacks may have promising antimalarial properties for humans. The compounds are part of a unique chemical signaling system that seaweeds use to battle enemies -- and that may provide a wealth of potential new pharmaceutical compounds. ... > full story
Poor park planning drives kids indoors (February 22, 2011) -- What does it take to keep children active when they get home from school? It seems that what your neighborhood offers in terms of parks and playgrounds has a lot to do with it. In a study looking at the links between the quality of outdoor public spaces, parents' perception of them, and children's sedentary behavior, researchers in Australia, show that neighborhood features do influence whether or not children watch less television and play fewer computer games after school. ... > full story
Climate and aerosols: NASA's Glory satellite promises new view of perplexing particles (February 22, 2011) -- Climatologists have known for decades that airborne particles called aerosols can have a powerful impact on the climate. However, pinpointing the magnitude of the effect has proven challenging because of difficulties associated with measuring the particles on a global scale. Soon a new NASA satellite -- Glory -- should help scientists collect the data needed to provide firmer answers about the important particles. In California, engineers and technicians at Vandenberg Air Force Base are currently prepping Glory for a Feb. 23 launch. ... > full story
Climate change affecting food safety (February 22, 2011) -- Climate change is already having an effect on the safety of the world's food supplies and unless action is taken it's only going to get worse, a group of experts has warned. ... > full story
Plants cloned as seeds: Hybrids that breed true would be major advance for crop plants (February 21, 2011) -- Plants have for the first time been cloned as seeds. The research is a major step towards making hybrid crop plants that can retain favorable traits from generation to generation. ... > full story
Better way to diagnose pneumonia (February 21, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new sampling device that could prevent thousands of people worldwide from dying of pneumonia each year. ... > full story
Gorillas go green: Apes shed pounds while doubling calories on leafy diet, researcher finds (February 21, 2011) -- Gorillas in Cleveland Metroparks Zoo have dropped about 65 pounds after a year on a leafy green diet. The change is an effort to combat heart disease, the top killer of male gorillas in US zoos. ... > full story
New model for probing antidepressant actions (February 21, 2011) -- How antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) work can be thoroughly explored with a new mouse model developed by neuroscientists. The mice express a serotonin transporter that has been genetically altered so that it does not respond to many SSRIs or cocaine. The new mouse model could also lead to the development of entirely new classes of antidepressant medications. ... > full story
The world’s oldest water? (February 21, 2011) -- New evidence bolsters the notion that deep saline groundwaters in South Africa's Witwatersrand Basin may have remained isolated for many thousands, perhaps even millions, of years. The study found the noble gas neon dissolved in water in three-kilometer deep crevices. ... > full story
Plants that can move inspire new adaptive structures (February 21, 2011) -- The Mimosa plant, which folds its leaves when they're touched, is inspiring a new class of adaptive structures designed to twist, bend, stiffen and even heal themselves. ... > full story
New technology for cheaper, more efficient solar cells (February 21, 2011) -- Applying an organic layer less than a nanometer thick improves the efficiency of certain solar cells three-fold. The technology could lead to cheaper, more efficient solar panels. ... > full story
Floating spores kill malaria mosquito larvae (February 21, 2011) -- There are over 200 million cases of malaria each year and, in 2009, malaria was responsible for 781,000 deaths worldwide. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes which breed in open water and spend much of their larval stage feeding on fungi and microorganisms at the water surface. New research presents a method of dispersing pathogenic fungi as a means of preventing the spread of malaria. ... > full story
Testing the limits of where humans can live (February 21, 2011) -- On an isolated segment of islands in the Pacific Ring of Fire, residents endure volcanoes, tsunamis, dense fog, steep cliffs and long and chilly winters. Researchers have studied the history of human settlement on the Kuril Islands. Understanding how residents survived the islands' severe environment could inform how we adapt to modern vulnerabilities, including climate change. The findings also have implications for how we rebound from contemporary catastrophes. ... > full story
Spent nuclear fuel is anything but waste (February 21, 2011) -- Failure to pursue a program for recycling spent nuclear fuel has put the US far behind other countries and represents a missed opportunity to enhance the nation's energy security and influence other countries. ... > full story
Trichinosis parasite gets DNA decoded (February 21, 2011) -- Scientists have decoded the DNA of the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis, a disease linked to eating raw or undercooked pork or carnivorous wild game animals, such as bear and walrus. ... > full story
New assessment of black carbon and tropospheric ozone's role in climate change (February 21, 2011) -- Specific measures could already have a positive impact on climate protection and public health. These measures do not replace those related to carbon dioxide, and their full implementation could reduce global warming by 0.5 degrees C. ... > full story
Sustainability solutions need the power of networks (February 21, 2011) -- The choices an individual makes about environmental issues are affected by family, friends and others in a person's social network. Scientists are studying how to harness the power of social networks to better communicate sustainability science. ... > full story
Mimicking photosynthesis path to solar-derived hydrogen fuel (February 20, 2011) -- Inexpensive hydrogen for automotive or jet fuel may be possible by mimicking photosynthesis, according to a materials chemist, but a number of problems need to be solved first. ... > full story
Universal flu vaccine study yields success in mice (February 20, 2011) -- Researchers have taken a step closer to the development of a universal flu vaccine, with results of a recent study showing that a vaccine delivered by a simple nasal spray could provide protection against influenza. ... > full story
Storm-chasing weather radar used to track bat populations (February 20, 2011) -- Scientists are using mobile storm-chasing radars to follow swarms of bats as they emerge from their caves each night to forage on insects. ... > full story
Climate projections show human health impacts possible within 30 years: Potential increases in waterborne toxins and microbes (February 20, 2011) -- A panel of scientists unveiled new research and models demonstrating how climate change could increase exposure and risk of human illness originating from ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems, with some studies projecting impacts to be felt within 30 years. ... > full story
Frequent, severe fires turn Alaskan forests into a carbon production line (February 20, 2011) -- Alaskan forests used to be important players in Mother Nature's game plan for regulating carbon dioxide levels in the air. It's elementary earth science: Trees take up carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. But now, American and Canadian researchers report that climate change is causing wildfires to burn larger swaths of Alaskan trees and to char the groundcover more severely, turning the black spruce forests of Alaska from repositories of carbon to generators of it. And the more carbon dioxide they release, the greater impact that may have in turn on future climate change. ... > full story
One Health: From ideas to implementation, rhetoric to reality (February 20, 2011) -- The convergence of people, animals, and our environment has created a new dynamic in which the health of each group is inextricably and globally interconnected, without borders. It is against this background that One Health has emerged as a multidisciplinary effort to attain optimal health of humans, animals and our environment. ... > full story
Water, water, everywhere ... but is it safe to drink? (February 20, 2011) -- New research examines society's efforts to reverse and stop groundwater pollution, and the effectiveness of bioremediation technologies -- using microbes to clean up organic contaminants such as petroleum hydrocarbons (oil, gasoline or diesel) or chemicals used in the electronics or transportation industries. ... > full story
Oldest fossils of large seaweeds, possible animals tell story about oxygen in an ancient ocean (February 19, 2011) -- Almost 600 million years ago, before the Cambrian explosion, a community of seaweeds and worm-like animals lived in a quiet deep-water niche under the sea near what is now Anhui Province of South China. Then they simply died, leaving some 3,000 nearly pristine fossils preserved between beds of black shale deposited in oxygen-free waters. Scientists report the discovery of the fossils and the mystery. ... > full story
Mind over matter: EECoG may finally allow enduring control of a prosthetic or a paralyzed arm by thought alone (February 19, 2011) -- A biomedical engineer is developing brain-computer interfaces based on grids of electrodes that lie beneath the skull but outside the dura mater, the protective membrane that covers the brain. His next project is to slip a thin 32-electrode grid he designed with a colleague under a macaque's skill and to train the monkey to control -- strictly by thinking about it -- a computational model of a macaque arm. ... > full story
Efficacy of tuberculosis vaccine enhanced thanks to new research (February 19, 2011) -- Researchers in Belgium have improved the efficacy of the vaccine for tuberculosis. The new vaccine affords, as already demonstrated in mice, better protection against the disease. The development of a new tuberculosis vaccine is a priority in the fight against the disease, which claims the lives of 1.7 million people each year. The current vaccine provides only partial protection. ... > full story
Biologists use GPS to 'map' bat teeth to explore evolutionary adaptations to diet (February 19, 2011) -- In a clever use of GPS technology, biologists have "mapped" the topography of bat teeth as if they were uncharted mountain ranges, in order to better understand how toothy ridges, peaks and valleys have evolved to allow different species to eat everything from hard-shelled insects to blood and nectar. ... > full story
Research predicts future evolution of flu viruses (February 19, 2011) -- New research is beginning to crack the code of which strain of flu will be prevalent in a given year, with major implications for global public health preparedness. ... > full story
Fishing down food web leaves fewer big fish, more small fish in past century (February 19, 2011) -- Predatory fish such as cod, tuna and groupers have declined by two-thirds over the past 100 years, while small forage fish such as sardine, anchovy and capelin have more than doubled over the same period, according to researchers. ... > full story
Fountain of youth from the tap? Environmental lithium uptake promotes longevity, scientists demonstrate (February 18, 2011) -- A regular uptake of the trace element lithium can considerably promote longevity, suggests new research by scientists in Germany. The researchers have demonstrated by two independent approaches that even a low concentration of lithium leads to an increased life expectancy in humans as well as in a model organism, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. ... > full story
Experts question aspects of prescribed burning (February 18, 2011) -- Prescribed burning to reduce the hazards of bushfires may do more harm than good in some circumstances, according to a group of leading environmental scientists. ... > full story
Solar flare: Space weather disrupts communications, threatens other technologies (February 18, 2011) -- A powerful solar flare has ushered in the largest space weather storm in at least four years and has already disrupted some ground communications on Earth. ... > full story
Reverse genetics allow scientists to slow spread of Rubella virus (February 18, 2011) -- Scientists have identified the gene that allows the Rubella virus to block cell death and reverse engineered a mutant gene that slows the virus's spread. Researchers believed that RNA viruses were able to spread by blocking the pathways in cells that lead to cell suicide, and isolated the responsible gene in Rubella, also known as German measles. ... > full story
Oxygen levels in the air do not limit plant productivity, researchers find (February 18, 2011) -- There have been concerns that present oxygen levels may limit plant productivity. Researchers in Sweden show that this is not the case in a new study. The results are encouraging since they demonstrate that plans for future biomass and solar fuels production are not limited by this effect. ... > full story
Chemical guided missile could be the answer to wiping out cancer (February 18, 2011) -- Medical scientists in Australia have created the world's first cancer stem cell-targeting chemical missile, placing them a step closer to creating a medical 'smart bomb' that would seek out and eradicate the root of cancer cells. ... > full story
Leafcutter ant genome reveals secrets of fungus farming ways (February 18, 2011) -- Leafcutter ants, signature denizens of New World tropical forests, are unique in their ability to harvest fresh leaves to cultivate a nutrient-rich fungus as food. ... > full story
Hydrogen cartridges fuel laptops and phones for outdoor enthusiasts (February 18, 2011) -- Scientists have developed new hydrogen cartridges, which provide energy to fuel cells designed to recharge cell phones, laptops and GPS units. The green power source is geared toward outdoor enthusiasts as well as residents of the Third World, where electricity in homes is considered a luxury. ... > full story
The green machine: Algae clean wastewater, convert to biodiesel (February 18, 2011) -- Researchers are developing biodiesel from microalgae grown in wastewater. The project is doubly "green" because algae consume nitrates and phosphates and reduce bacteria and toxins in the water. The end result: clean wastewater and stock for a promising biofuel. ... > full story
Catching space weather in the act (February 18, 2011) -- Special cameras aboard the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft have snapped the first shots of a complex space environment. Instead of recording light, these two large single-pixel cameras detect energetic neutral atoms. ... > full story
Sleeping Trojan horse to aid imaging of diseased cells (February 18, 2011) -- A unique strategy developed by researchers in the UK is opening up new possibilities for improving medical imaging. Medical imaging often requires getting unnatural materials such as metal ions into cells, a process which is a major challenge across a range of biomedical disciplines. One technique currently used is called the 'Trojan Horse' in which the drug or imaging agent is attached to something naturally taken up by cells. ... > full story
Improving microscopy by following the astronomers' guide star (February 18, 2011) -- A corrective strategy used by astronomers to sharpen images of celestial bodies can now help scientists see with more depth and clarity into the living brain of a mouse. ... > full story
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
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