ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Sunday, August 8, 2010
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Looking for the coolest forms of life on Earth (August 7, 2010) -- Two UK scientists are traveling to one of the coldest places on Earth to help them understand how life could exist on other planets in our Solar System. During their trip to Ny-Ålesund on the island of Svalbard, they will investigate how the snow and ice there was first colonized by extremophiles – organisms that thrive in harsh conditions. ... > full story
Greenland glacier calves island four times the size of Manhattan (August 7, 2010) -- A researcher reports that an "ice island" four times the size of Manhattan has calved from Greenland's Petermann Glacier. The last time the Arctic lost such a large chunk of ice was in 1962. ... > full story
Insular evolution: Large and big-footed voles in an outer archipelago (August 7, 2010) -- According to evolutionary theory, natural selection favors traits that enhance dispersal of populations to new habitats. The empirical evidence supporting this theory, however, is relatively scarce. Scientists now report on the rapid evolution of traits facilitating dispersal in an outer archipelago. ... > full story
Secret of life on Earth may be as simple as what happens between the sheets -- mica sheets, that is (August 6, 2010) -- That age-old question, "where did life on Earth start?" now has a new answer. If the life between the mica sheets hypothesis is correct, life would have originated between sheets of mica that were layered like the pages in a book. ... > full story
Image of new antibiotic in action opens up new opportunities to combat antibacterial resistance (August 6, 2010) -- Detailed pictures reveal how a new type of experimental antibiotic can kill bacteria that are already resistant to existing treatments. The findings could ultimately help scientists to develop new antibiotics to tackle the bacteria responsible for many hospital and community-acquired infections. ... > full story
Worst impact of climate change may be how humanity reacts to it (August 6, 2010) -- The way that humanity reacts to climate change may do more damage to many areas of the planet than climate change itself unless we plan properly, an important new study by a group of leading scientists has concluded. ... > full story
Newts' ability to regenerate tissue replicated in mouse cells (August 6, 2010) -- Scientists have taken a big step toward being able to confer a regenerative capacity on mammalian muscle cells; they accomplished this feat in experiments with laboratory mice in which they blocked the expression of just two tumor-suppressing proteins. The finding may move us closer to future regenerative therapies in humans -- surprisingly, by sending us shimmying back down the evolutionary tree. ... > full story
Novel bee venom derivative forms a nanoparticle 'smart bomb' to target cancer cells (August 6, 2010) -- The next time you are stung by a bee, here's some consolation: a toxic protein in bee venom, when altered, significantly improves the effectiveness liposome-encapsulated drugs or dyes, such as those already used to treat or diagnose cancer. This research shows how modified melittin may revolutionize treatments for cancer and perhaps other conditions, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and serious infections. ... > full story
Reading zip codes of 3,500-year-old letters: Non-destructive X-ray scanning of archaeological finds (August 6, 2010) -- A researcher in Israel uses a hand-held device based on x-ray fluorescence, a device that can be found in many chemistry labs, to non-destructively ascertain the chemical composition of ancient tablets. Using an index that he's developed, he can determine the geographical origin of coins, ancient plasters, glass and tablets to investigate the secrets of ancient history. ... > full story
A 'crystal ball' for predicting the effects of global climate change (August 6, 2010) -- In trying to predict how species will respond to climate change caused by global warming, researchers and scientists are turning to comparative physiology, a sub-discipline of physiology that studies how different organisms function and adapt to diverse and changing environments. Overall, the comparative approach gives researchers insights into the effects of global warming that they wouldn't otherwise have. ... > full story
Children's vegetable intake linked to Popeye cartoons (August 6, 2010) -- Popeye cartoons, tasting parties and junior cooking classes can help increase vegetable intake in kindergarten children, according to new research. Researchers in Thailand found the type and amount of vegetables children ate improved after they took part in a program using multimedia and role models to promote healthy food. ... > full story
Bats facing regional extinction in Northeastern US from rapidly spreading white-nose syndrome (August 6, 2010) -- A new infectious disease spreading rapidly across the northeastern United States has killed millions of bats and is predicted to cause regional extinction of a once-common bat species, according to new findings. Estimates show over 99 percent of Northeast's little brown bat population may become extirpated in 20 years due to white-nose syndrome. ... > full story
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