ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily's email newsletter. You can change your subscription options or unsubscribe at any time.
Gondwana supercontinent underwent massive shift during Cambrian explosion (August 11, 2010) -- The Gondwana supercontinent underwent a 60-degree rotation across Earth's surface during the Early Cambrian period, according to new evidence uncovered by a team of geologists. The study has implications for the environmental conditions that existed at a crucial period in Earth's evolutionary history called the Cambrian explosion, when most of the major groups of complex animals rapidly appeared. ... > full story
Dying of cold: More heart attacks in cooler weather (August 11, 2010) -- Lower outdoor temperatures are linked to an increase in the risk of heart attacks, according to a new study by scientists in the UK. ... > full story
Deployment of buoys to measure air and sea interactions in typhoons launched from Taiwan (August 11, 2010) -- Scientists and technicians are deploying two buoys that will help us better understand interactions between the ocean and atmosphere during typhoons. ... > full story
Evolutionary surprise: Freedom of neck played major role in human brain evolution, research suggests (August 11, 2010) -- By deciphering the genetics in humans and fish, scientists now believe that the neck -- that little body part between your head and shoulders -- gave humans so much freedom of movement that it played a surprising and major role in the evolution of the human brain, according to neuroscientists. ... > full story
Common orchid gives scientists hope in face of climate change (August 10, 2010) -- A study that focuses on epigenetics in European common marsh orchids has revealed that some plants may be able to adapt more quickly to environmental change than previously thought. The research brings new hope to plant conservation. ... > full story
New insights into how antibodies are made suggests new approach for anti-cancer drug targets (August 10, 2010) -- While investigating how white blood cells known as B cells develop, researchers have discovered that genes from the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3Ks) family of enzymes are critical in enabling the B cells to produce antibodies in the spleen and lymph nodes. PI3Ks are involved in a diverse range of activities inside cells, generating signalling molecules to control cell growth, proliferation, motility, survival and intracellular trafficking. Faults in these processes can lead to the development of cancer; consequently the PI3Ks are currently among the most hotly pursued drug targets in the pharmaceutical industry. ... > full story
Vitamin B3 as a novel approach to treat fungal infections (August 10, 2010) -- Scientists have identified vitamin B3 as a potential antifungal treatment. Infections by the yeast Candida albicans represent a significant public health problem and a common complication in immunodeficient individuals such as AIDS patients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and recipients of organ transplants. ... > full story
Mosasaur fossil: Life of 85-million-year-old 'sea monster' illuminated (August 10, 2010) -- One of the ocean's most formidable marine predators, the mosasaur Platecarpus, lived in the Cretaceous Period some 85 million years ago and was thought to have swum like an eel. That theory is debunked in a new article. Scientists have reconceived the animal's morphology, or body plan, based on a spectacular specimen housed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. ... > full story
Polar bears, glaucous gulls most at risk from contaminants (August 10, 2010) -- Although animals throughout the Arctic are exposed to an alphabet soup of pollutants and contaminants that are carried north from industrialized countries, only polar bears in East Greenland and Svalbard and glaucous gulls in Svalbard appear to be showing any deleterious effects, according to a new report. ... > full story
Human cells can copy not only DNA, but also RNA (August 10, 2010) -- Single-molecule sequencing technology has detected and quantified novel small RNAs in human cells that represent entirely new classes of the gene-translating molecules, confirming a long-held but unproven hypothesis that mammalian cells are capable of synthesizing RNA by copying RNA molecules directly. ... > full story
Stone Age remains are Britain's earliest house (August 10, 2010) -- Archaeologists working on Stone Age remains at a site in North Yorkshire say it contains Britain's earliest surviving house. Archaeologists have revealed that the home dates to at least 8,500 BC -- when Britain was part of continental Europe. ... > full story
Millions of microorganisms reach Spain from the Sahara Desert and the Sahel region -- by flying (August 10, 2010) -- Every day, millions of microorganisms reach Spain from the Sahara Desert and the Sahel region -- by flying. Louis Pasteur demonstrated back in 1861 that germs can move through the air, but it was only recently discovered that bacteria, fungi and viruses can travel thousands of kilometers stuck onto dust particles. Satellite images show clouds that come close to the size of the Iberian Peninsula. ... > full story
Hitchhiking bacteria can go against the flow (August 10, 2010) -- Tiny aquatic organisms known as "water fleas" play an important role in carrying bacteria to lake and ocean habitats that are otherwise inaccessible due to stratified density boundaries. For animals as small as bacteria, the boundary between water masses of different temperature and salinity may as well be a brick wall. Hitching a ride on larger zooplankton helps them break through to greener pastures. ... > full story
More actions needed to help western Steller sea lion recover, fisheries experts say (August 10, 2010) -- NOAA's Fisheries Service says changes are needed to the areas where commercial fishermen may fish for groundfish off Alaska's Aleutian Islands to further promote the recovery of the western population of Steller sea lions, and to be in compliance with the Endangered Species Act. ... > full story
The salp: Nature's near-perfect little engine just got better (August 10, 2010) -- What if trains, planes, and automobiles all were powered simply by the air through which they move? Moreover, what if their exhaust and byproducts helped the environment? Well, such an energy-efficient, self-propelling mechanism already exists in nature. The salp, a smallish, barrel-shaped organism that resembles a kind of streamlined jellyfish, gets everything it needs from the ocean waters to feed and propel itself. ... > full story
New study examines effects of drought in the Amazon (August 10, 2010) -- Recent research surrounding the impact of drought in the Amazon has provided contradictory findings as to how tropical forests react to a drier and warmer climate. A new study examines the response of Amazon forests to variations in climate conditions, specifically considering how those changes may influence forest productivity. These findings provide possible context for why previous studies have offered varying conclusions. ... > full story
Help from the dark side: Using 'dark channel' fluorescence, scientists can explain how biochemical substances carry out their function (August 10, 2010) -- By using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, researchers in Germany have observed the moving of electric charges from solute to solvent (electron transfer). They can even make assertions on the temporal sequence of this process. As one example, they can find out how solute biochemical substances carry out their microscopic functions in their natural environment at room temperature and normal pressure. Until recently, studying such systems by soft X-ray radiation has not been possible. ... > full story
Higher temperatures to slow Asian rice production (August 10, 2010) -- Production of rice, the world's most important crop for ensuring food security, will be thwarted as temperatures increase in rice-growing areas with continued climate change, according to a new study. Researchers found evidence that the net impact of projected temperature increases will be to slow the growth of rice production in Asia. Rising temperatures during the past 25 years have already cut the yield growth rate by 10-20 percent in several locations. ... > full story
London Guildhall: Cradle of English literature (August 10, 2010) -- Researchers have found evidence that the London Guildhall served as the cradle of English Literature in the late Middle Ages. It was the home to scribes who copied the first manuscripts of works by fourteenth-century authors Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower, as well as early copies of other Middle English authors including William Langland and John Trevisa. ... > full story
Scientists map all mammalian gene interactions (August 9, 2010) -- In one of the first efforts of its kind, researchers have taken mammalian genome maps, including human maps, one step further by showing not just the order in which genes fall in the genome but which genes actually interact. The findings will help researchers better understand which genes work together and shed light on how they collaborate to help cells thrive or die. ... > full story
Insects sense danger on mammals' breath (August 9, 2010) -- When plant-eating mammals such as goats chomp on a sprig of alfalfa, they could easily gobble up some extra protein in the form of insects that happen to get in their way. But a new report shows that plant-dwelling pea aphids have a strategy designed to help them avoid that dismal fate: The insects sense mammalian breath and simply drop to the ground. ... > full story
Fresh insight into the origins of Planet Earth (August 9, 2010) -- For the first time, an international team of researchers has incorporated extensive geochemical data on the formation of Earth into a model -- with surprising results: more models can be used for the process of Earth's accretion than previously assumed. ... > full story
New methods, new math speed detection of drug-resistant malaria (August 9, 2010) -- Researchers developed techniques to quickly identify evolution of drug resistance in strains of malaria. Their goal is to enable the medical community to react quickly to inevitable resistance and thereby save lives while increasing the lifespan of drugs used against the disease. ... > full story
Engineers use rocket science to make wastewater treatment sustainable (August 9, 2010) -- Engineers are developing a new sewage treatment process that would increase the production of two greenhouse gases -- nitrous oxide and methane -- and use those gases to power the treatment plant. Applying rocket technology, they hope to make the process energy neutral and emissions free. ... > full story
Forest fires help power the nitrogen cycle (August 9, 2010) -- Years after a forest fire, soil bacteria communities have changed and convert more ammonia to nitrates, increasing soil fertility. ... > full story
Tiny fish evolved to tolerate colder temperature in three years, study finds (August 9, 2010) -- Researchers have observed one of the fastest evolutionary responses ever recorded in wild populations. In as little as three years, stickleback fish developed tolerance for water temperature 2.5 degrees Celsius lower than their ancestors. ... > full story
NASA images show continuing Mexico quake deformation (August 9, 2010) -- New NASA airborne radar images of Southern California near the U.S.-Mexico border show Earth's surface is continuing to deform following the April 4 magnitude, 7.2 temblor and its many aftershocks that have rocked Mexico's state of Baja California and parts of the American Southwest. ... > full story
'Delicious' invader: More fishing, higher consumption might help reverse lionfish invasion (August 9, 2010) -- A new study looking at how to curb the rapid growth of lionfish, an invasive species not native to the Atlantic Ocean, suggests that approximately 27 percent of mature lionfish will have to be removed monthly for one year to reduce its population growth rate to zero. ... > full story
Genetic differences that make some people susceptible to meningitis revealed in major new study (August 9, 2010) -- Genetic differences that make some people susceptible to developing meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, and others naturally immune, are revealed in a new study of over 6,000 people. The research is the largest ever genetic study of meningitis and septicaemia caused by meningococcal bacteria. ... > full story
'Fearless' aphids ignore warnings, get eaten by ladybugs (August 9, 2010) -- 'Fearless' aphids -- which become accustomed to ignoring genetically engineered chemical alarms in plants and alarms sent by fellow aphids -- become easy prey for ladybugs. That's good news for farmers, according to researchers. ... > full story
As crops wither in Russia's severe drought, vital plant field bank faces demolition (August 9, 2010) -- As the fate of Europe's largest collection of fruit and berries hangs in the balance of a Russian court decision, the Global Crop Diversity Trust issued an urgent appeal for the Russian government to embrace its heroic tradition as protector of the world's crop diversity and halt the planned destruction of an incredibly valuable crop collection near St. Petersburg. ... > full story
NASA's hurricane quest set to begin (August 9, 2010) -- In less than two weeks, NASA scientists will begin their quest for the holy grail of hurricane research. The exact conditions required to kickstart a tropical depression into a hurricane largely remain a mystery. Though scientists know many of the ingredients needed, it is unclear what processes ultimately drive depressions to form into the intense, spinning storms that lash the U.S. coasts each summer. ... > full story
Butterflies shed light on how some species respond to global warming (August 9, 2010) -- Researchers have begun studying the genetic explanation for how two species of butterflies respond to warming. They are investigating what genes are responsible for the individualized responses, and will use genomic tools to learn which genes are involved when the species is experiencing climate change. ... > full story
Scientists post lower speed limit for cell-signaling protein assembly (August 9, 2010) -- The apparently random self-assembly of molecular threads into the proteins that make the body work is far less frantic than previously thought, scientists say. That discovery could be a key to help unlock the nature of some diseases. How proteins spontaneously "fold" from wiggling chains of amino acids into a wide variety of functional -- or malfunctioning -- 3-D molecules is one of the biggest mysteries in biochemistry. ... > full story
Is biochar the answer for agriculture? Long-term study digs up new information on biochar’s ability to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soils (August 9, 2010) -- Scientists have found that over several months, biochar applied to soil can significantly reduce emissions of nitrous oxide and leaching of nitrates. ... > full story
Protein that shuttles RNA into cell mitochondria discovered (August 8, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered a role for an essential cell protein in shuttling RNA into the mitochondria, the energy-producing "power plant" of the cell. ... > full story
NOAA still expects active Atlantic hurricane season; La Niña develops (August 8, 2010) -- The Atlantic Basin remains on track for an active hurricane season, according to the scheduled seasonal outlook update issued Aug. 5, 2010 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. With the season's peak just around the corner -- late August through October -- the need for preparedness plans is essential. ... > full story
Death dance reveals secrets of apoptosis in dissociated human embryonic stem cells (August 8, 2010) -- Researchers in Japan have unraveled the mystery of why human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis) when cultured in isolation. By unlocking the potential of cell therapy techniques, the discovery promises new hope to sufferers of debilitating degenerative diseases. ... > full story
First satellite measurement of water volume in Amazon floodplain (August 8, 2010) -- For the first time, scientists have been able to measure the amount of water that rises and falls annually in the Amazon River floodplain. The result -- 285 billion metric tons, or 285 cubic kilometers of water by volume -- sounds like a lot. That amount is over half the volume of Lake Erie, which is the world's 15th largest lake. ... > full story
NASA instrument tracks pollution from Russian fires (August 8, 2010) -- Drought and the worst heat wave Russia has seen in 130 years have sparked a devastating outbreak of wildfires across the nation this summer, primarily in the country's western and central regions. ... > full story
Federal science report details fate of oil from BP spill (August 8, 2010) -- The vast majority of the oil from the BP oil spill has either evaporated or been burned, skimmed, recovered from the wellhead or dispersed much of which is in the process of being degraded. A significant amount of this is the direct result of the robust federal response efforts, according to a new report. ... > full story
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
Copyright 1995-2010 © ScienceDaily LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
|
 To update/change your profile click here  |
