ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, August 26, 2010
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Why fish don't freeze in the Arctic Ocean: Chemists unmask natural antifreeze (August 26, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered how natural antifreeze works to protect fish in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean from freezing to death. They were able to observe that an antifreeze protein in the fish's blood affects the water molecules in its vicinity such that they cannot freeze, and everything remains fluid. Here, there is no chemical bond between protein and water -- the mere presence of the protein is sufficient. ... > full story
BPA and testosterone levels: First evidence for small changes in men (August 26, 2010) -- Researchers have for the first time identified changes in sex hormones associated with bisphenol A exposure in men, in a large population study. BPA is a chemical commonly used in food and drink containers. ... > full story
Waiting for the right moment: Bacterial pathogens delay their entry into cells (August 26, 2010) -- Pathogens make themselves feel at home in the human body, invading cells and living off the plentiful amenities on offer. However, researchers reveal an opposite strategy used to ensure infection success. Pathogens can actually delay their entry into cells to ensure their survival. Upon cell contact, bacteria trigger a local strengthening of the cellular skeleton with the aid of signalling molecules, allowing them to remain outside the cell. The researchers also show that this strategy, unknown until now, is used by certain intestinal pathogens as well. ... > full story
Deadly bat fungus found in several European countries (August 26, 2010) -- Within five years the death toll of North American bats succumbing to “white-nose syndrome” has reached the one million threshold. Now, the causative fungus Geomyces destructans has been identified in a number of European countries -- so far without detrimental effects for the native bat populations. ... > full story
A 'great fizz' of carbon dioxide was produced at the end of the last ice age (August 26, 2010) -- Imagine loosening the screw-top of a soda bottle and hearing the carbon dioxide begin to escape. Then imagine taking the cap off quickly, and seeing the beverage foam and fizz out of the bottle. Then, imagine the pressure equalizing and the beverage being ready to drink. Marine scientists say that something similar happened over a 1,000 year period after the end of the last ice age. ... > full story
Wild Southeast Asian porcupines under threat due to illegal hunting, researchers find (August 26, 2010) -- Researchers have shown that the consumption of the Southeast Asian porcupine as a specialty food is having a devastating effect on wild populations. ... > full story
Supercomputers help track species affected by Gulf oil spill (August 26, 2010) -- To establish a baseline for measuring and predicting the biological impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an ichthyologist and a biomedical informatics researcher are using supercomputer systems to help map data on the extent of the spill and chemicals and the distribution of various fish species. ... > full story
Freeze or run? Not that simple: Scientists discover neural switch that controls fear (August 25, 2010) -- Scientists have identified the specific type of neurons that determine how mice react to a frightening stimulus, showing that deciding whether or not to freeze in fear is a more complex task for our brains than we realized. ... > full story
Serengeti highway would disrupt world's greatest migration, conservationists warn (August 25, 2010) -- The Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological Society of London are requesting that the Government of Tanzania reconsider the proposed construction of a commercial road through the world's best known wildlife sanctuary -- Serengeti National Park -- and recommend that alternative routes be used that can meet the transportation needs of the region without disrupting the greatest remaining migration of large land animals in the world. ... > full story
A dog's life: Physiotherapy for arthritic pets (August 25, 2010) -- Animals with osteoarthritis are generally offered the same types of physiotherapy as humans, although most of the methods have not been directly tested on animals. Recent work addresses this deficit and shows that relatively simple measures such as walking uphill or over low obstacles can significantly help the bending of dogs' joints and thus mitigate the suffering caused by arthritis. ... > full story
Growing drought-tolerant crops inching forward (August 25, 2010) -- A team of scientists has used the tools of structural biology to understand how a synthetic chemical mimics abscisic acid (ABA), a key stress hormone that helps plants cope with adverse environmental conditions such as drought. ... > full story
Solar System may be 2 million years older than we thought, meteorite analysis suggests (August 25, 2010) -- Timescales of early Solar System processes rely on precise, accurate and consistent ages obtained with radiometric dating. However, recent advances in instrumentation now allow scientists to make more precise measurements, some of which are revealing inconsistencies in the ages of samples. Seeking better constraints on the age of the Solar System, researchers analyzed meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 2364 and found that the age of the Solar System predates previous estimates by up to 1.9 million years. ... > full story
Antiviral gene helps suppress jumping of AIDS viruses between host species (August 25, 2010) -- The human AIDS viruses originated as viruses of apes and monkeys, respectively, yet little is known about whether or how these invaders adapted to the new genetic "environment" encountered in humans. One group of host genes, collectively known as restriction factors, is thought to influence the ability of such viruses to move between different primate species. ... > full story
Strange case of solar flares and radioactive elements (August 25, 2010) -- When researchers found an unusual linkage between solar flares and the inner life of radioactive elements on Earth, it touched off a scientific detective investigation that could end up protecting the lives of space-walking astronauts and maybe even rewriting some of the assumptions of physics. ... > full story
Evolution writ small: Physical effects of evolution measured at molecular scale (August 25, 2010) -- A unique experiment that forces bacteria into a head-to-head competition for evolutionary dominance has yielded new insights about the way Darwinian selection plays out at the molecular level. An exacting new analysis reveals precisely how specific genetic mutations impart a physical edge in the competition for survival. ... > full story
Seeing the world with new eyes: Biosynthetic corneas restore vision in humans (August 25, 2010) -- A new study from researchers in Canada and Sweden has shown that biosynthetic corneas can help regenerate and repair damaged eye tissue and improve vision in humans. The results are from an early phase clinical trial with 10 patients. ... > full story
Juicing up laptops and cell phones with soda pop or vegetable oil? (August 25, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting the development of a new battery-like device that opens the possibility that people one day could "recharge" cell phones, laptops, and other portable electronics in an unlikely way -- with a sugar fix from a shared sip of soda pop or even a dose of vegetable oil. ... > full story
Tiny, new, pea-sized frog is old world's smallest (August 25, 2010) -- The smallest frog in the Old World (Asia, Africa and Europe) and one of the world's tiniest was discovered inside and around pitcher plants in the heath forests of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. The pea-sized amphibian is a species of microhylid, which, as the name suggests, is composed of miniature frogs under 15 millimeters. ... > full story
Deepwater oil plume in Gulf degraded by microbes, study shows (August 25, 2010) -- A new study of a deepwater dispersed oil plume formed in the aftermath of the damaged BP wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico shows that microbial activity, spearheaded by a new and unclassified species, degrades oil much faster than anticipated. ... > full story
Nanobiotechnology-manipulated light particles used to accelerate algae growth (August 25, 2010) -- Scientists and engineers seek to meet three goals in the production of biofuels from nonedible sources such as microalgae: efficiency, economical production and ecological sustainability. Researchers have now discovered a method to make algae, which can be used in the production of biofuels, grow faster by manipulating light particles through the use of nanobiotechnology. ... > full story
Waiting for the right moment: Bacterial pathogens delay their entry into cells (August 25, 2010) -- Certain pathogens make themselves at home in the human body by invading cells and living off the plentiful amenities on offer there. However, researchers have discovered a contrary strategy to ensure infection success: some pathogens can actually delay their entry into cells to ensure their survival. ... > full story
Did ancient coffee houses lay the groundwork for modern consumerism? (August 25, 2010) -- If you think that your favorite coffee shop is a great gathering place for discussion, you should have been around in the Ottoman Empire starting in the 1550s. A new study examines the role of coffee houses in the evolution of the consumer. ... > full story
How giant tortoises, alligators thrived in High Arctic 50 million years ago (August 25, 2010) -- A new study of the High Arctic climate roughly 50 million years ago helps to explain how ancient alligators and giant tortoises were able to thrive on Ellesmere Island well above the Arctic Circle, even as they endured six months of darkness each year. ... > full story
Researchers zero in on protein that destroys HIV (August 25, 2010) -- Using a 5,000 microscope and the wisdom of Yogi Berra, researchers have identified the key components of a protein called TRIM5a that destroys HIV in rhesus monkeys. The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans. ... > full story
Can the world be powered mainly by solar and wind energy? (August 25, 2010) -- Continuous research and development of alternative energy could soon lead to a new era in human history in which two renewable sources -- solar and wind -- will become Earth's dominant contributor of energy, a Nobel laureate said at a conference. ... > full story
True causes for extinction of cave bear revealed: More human expansion than climate change (August 25, 2010) -- The cave bear started to become extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago, but until now the cause was unknown. An international team of scientists has analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequences from 17 new fossil samples, and compared these with the modern brown bear. The results show that the decline of the cave bear started 50,000 years ago, and was caused more by human expansion than by climate change. ... > full story
New evidence on how cranberry juice fights bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (August 25, 2010) -- Scientists report new evidence on the effectiveness of that old folk remedy -- cranberry juice -- for urinary tract infections. ... > full story
Cactus genes connect modern Mexico to its prehistoric past (August 25, 2010) -- In prehistoric times farmers across the world domesticated wild plants to create an agricultural revolution. As a result the ancestral plants have been lost, causing problems for anyone studying the domestication process of modern-day varieties, but that might change. ... > full story
Disasters especially tough on people with disabilities, mental disorders (August 25, 2010) -- Psychologists have analyzed decades of research and found that disaster response strategies should address the needs of the population affected, specifically those with disabilities and mental disorders. ... > full story
High-born hyena sons benefit their entire life (August 25, 2010) -- High-ranking mothers provide their sons with a privileged upbringing and this increases their son's success after leaving home. This was now demonstrated for the first time in a social mammal, the spotted hyena. ... > full story
New mechanism behind cellular energy conversion discovered (August 25, 2010) -- Researchers have enhanced our understanding of the mechanism by which cells achieve energy conversion, the process in which food is converted into the energy required by cells. ... > full story
Salmon baby food? Babies need omega-3s and a taste for fish, scientist says (August 24, 2010) -- Has your toddler eaten fish today? A food science professor has two important reasons for including seafood in your young child's diet, reasons that have motivated her work in helping to develop a tasty, nutritious salmon baby food for toddlers. ... > full story
LEDs promise brighter future, not necessarily greener (August 24, 2010) -- Solid-state lighting pioneers long have held that replacing the inefficient Edison light bulb with more efficient solid-state light-emitting devices (LEDs) would lower electrical usage worldwide, not only "greenly" decreasing the need for new power plants but even permitting some to be decommissioned. But, in a new paper, leading LED researchers argue for a shift in that view. ... > full story
Fires and floods key to dinosaur island secrets (August 24, 2010) -- Fires and floods which raged across the Isle of Wight some 130 million years ago made the island the richest source of pick ’n’ mix dinosaur remains of this age anywhere in the world. A new study has revealed the Island’s once violent weather explains why thousands of tiny dinosaur teeth and bones lie buried alongside the huge bones of their gigantic relatives. ... > full story
RNA snippets control protein production by disabling mRNAs (August 24, 2010) -- Short pieces of RNA, called microRNAs, control protein production primarily by causing the proteins' RNA templates (known as messenger RNA or mRNA) to be disabled by the cell, according to scientists. ... > full story
Sea level to rise even with aggressive geo-engineering and greenhouse gas control, study finds (August 24, 2010) -- Sea level will likely be 30-70 centimeters higher by 2100 than at the start of the century, even if all but the most aggressive geo-engineering schemes are undertaken to mitigate the effects of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are stringently controlled, according to new findings by international research group of scientists from England, China and Denmark. ... > full story
Widely used herbicide, atrazine, causes prostate inflammation in male rats and delays puberty (August 24, 2010) -- A new study shows that male rats prenatally exposed to low doses of atrazine, a widely used herbicide, are more likely to develop prostate inflammation and to go through puberty later than non-exposed animals. The research adds to a growing body of literature on atrazine, an herbicide predominantly used to control weeds and grasses in crops such as corn and sugar cane. Atrazine and its byproducts are known to be relatively persistent in the environment, potentially finding their way into water supplies. ... > full story
Gene responsible for neurodegenerative disease in dogs, possibly in humans, discovered (August 24, 2010) -- Researchers have located and identified a gene responsible for a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects American Staffordshire terriers. This same gene may be responsible for a similar rare, fatal disease in humans. ... > full story
Reshaping the gut microbiome could herald new treatments for bowel diseases (August 24, 2010) -- A healthy human body contains at least tenfold more bacteria cells than human cells. The most abundant and diverse microbial community resides in the intestine, and changes to the gut microbiota are linked with diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In a new study, researchers have analyzed the long-term effects of gut bacterial transplantation in rats, revealing crucial insight that will aid in the development of new treatments. ... > full story
Americans using less energy, more renewables (August 24, 2010) -- Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources. The United States used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power. There also was a decline in natural gas use and increases in solar, hydro and geothermal power, according to the most recent energy flow charts. ... > full story
Health diagnosis made simpler: Bioengineers design device to help detect diseases quickly (August 24, 2010) -- Researchers have developed and tested instrumentation they say will make disease diagnosis technically simpler, quicker and less costly. Using the shape of a drop biological fluid to focus a beam from a light-emitting diode, the device enables diagnosis of infectious diseases and unhealthy levels of protein. ... > full story
Bug with bifocals baffles biologists (August 24, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a bug with bifocals -- such an amazing finding that it initially had the researchers questioning whether they could believe their own eyes. ... > full story
Could the answer to cleaning up the Gulf Coast oil spill lie in geometry? (August 24, 2010) -- Researchers are studying how naturally occurring microbes can best be used to eat away remaining crude oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico. Their choice of weapon: Geometry. ... > full story
Historic buildings may be better protected from climate change with new forecast method (August 24, 2010) -- Some of the nation's most historic buildings and monuments may be better protected from decay in future, following a development by engineers. Researchers have devised a method of forecasting damage caused by the weather to stone buildings -- including statues, monuments and other historic sites, as well as modern masonry buildings. ... > full story
Eating berries may activate the brain's natural housekeeper for healthy aging (August 24, 2010) -- Scientists report the first evidence that eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way. Their study concludes that berries, and possibly walnuts, activate the brain's natural "housekeeper" mechanism, which cleans up and recycles toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline. ... > full story
Dogs may not be' man’s best friend' during hay fever season (August 24, 2010) -- Ragweed allergy season can be even more miserable for those with dog, cat or dust mite allergies, according to new research. These year-round allergies appear to "pre-prime" the immune system so symptoms hit harder, according to a new study. ... > full story
Plants give up some deep secrets of drought resistance (August 24, 2010) -- In a study that promises to fill in the fine details of the plant world's blueprint for surviving drought, a team of researchers has identified in living plants the set of proteins that help them withstand water stress. ... > full story
Potential HIV drug keeps virus out of cells (August 24, 2010) -- Following up a pioneering 2007 proof-of-concept study, biochemists have developed a promising new anti-HIV drug candidate, PIE12-trimer, that prevents HIV from attacking human cells. ... > full story
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