ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Saturday, August 28, 2010
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Black rice rivals pricey blueberries as source of healthful antioxidants (August 27, 2010) -- Health conscious consumers who hesitate at the price of fresh blueberries and blackberries, fruits renowned for high levels of healthful antioxidants, now have an economical alternative. It is black rice, one variety of which got the moniker "forbidden rice" in ancient China because nobles commandeered every grain for themselves and forbade the common people from eating it. ... > full story
Shrinking atmospheric layer linked to low levels of solar radiation (August 27, 2010) -- Scientists link a recent, temporary shrinking of a high atmospheric layer with a sharp drop in the sun's ultraviolet radiation levels. ... > full story
Lethal backfire: Green odor with fatal consequences for voracious caterpillars (August 27, 2010) -- During field studies, scientists discovered that the oral secretions of tobacco hornworm larvae contain a particular substance that promptly alters a green leaf volatile in tobacco leaves into an odor attractant signal. With this signal, called (E)-2-hexenal, they unintentionally lure their own enemies: carnivorous bugs. These bugs start their piercing attacks not only against freshly hatched caterpillar babies; they also devour eggs laid by the female moths. ... > full story
Wheat's genetic code cracked: Draft sequence coverage of genome to aid global food shortage (August 27, 2010) -- A team of UK researchers has publicly released the first sequence coverage of the wheat genome. The release is a step towards a fully annotated genome and makes a significant contribution to efforts to support global food security. ... > full story
Frog skin may provide 'kiss of death' for antibiotic-resistant germs (August 27, 2010) -- Kissing a frog won't turn it into a prince -- except in fairy-tales -- but frogs may be hopping toward a real-world transformation into princely allies in humanity's battle with antibiotic-resistant infections that threaten millions of people. Scientists reported that frog skin contains substances that could be the basis for a new genre of antibiotics. ... > full story
Mayan water reservoir in Mexican rainforest: Archaeologists find huge artificial lake with ceramic-lined floor (August 27, 2010) -- Archaeologists have found an almost seven-foot-deep water reservoir the size of a soccer field, whose floor is lined with ceramic shards, in the Mexican rainforest. It seems that in combination with the limestone on top, the shards were supposed to seal the artificial lake. The system was built about 1,500 years ago. It is the first example of this design found for the Maya. It is not yet known whether the reservoir's entire floor is tiled. ... > full story
Neuron-damaging mechanism discovered in mouse model of inherited ALS (August 27, 2010) -- New research uncovers what may be a primary neuron-damaging insult that occurs in an inherited form of a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. The study describes a critical mechanistic link between a mutant protein and disease pathogenesis in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ... > full story
On organic coffee farm, complex interactions keep pests under control (August 27, 2010) -- Proponents of organic farming often speak of nature's balance in ways that sound almost spiritual, prompting criticism that their views are unscientific and naive. At the other end of the spectrum are those who see farms as battlefields where insect pests and plant diseases must be vanquished with the magic bullets of modern agriculture: pesticides, fungicides and the like. ... > full story
Artificial enzyme removes natural poison (August 27, 2010) -- For the first time ever, a completely artificial chemical enzyme has been successfully used to neutralize a toxin found naturally in fruits and vegetables. This is the first evidence that it's possible to design artificial enzymes for this class of task, and might result in a completely new way of designing drug-targets. ... > full story
Genomes of two ant species sequenced: Clues to their extraordinary social behavior (August 27, 2010) -- Scientists have finally sequenced the entire genome of an ant, actually two very different species of ant, and the insights gleaned from their genetic blueprints are already yielding tantalizing clues to the extraordinary social behavior of ants. ... > full story
Light, circadian rhythms affect vast range of physiological, behavioral functions (August 27, 2010) -- A new study of the genetic basis of circadian rhythms -- the biological responses related to daily light exposure -- has found that a few minutes of light exposure in a fungus directly affects a huge range of its biological functions, everything from reproduction to coloring and DNA repair. ... > full story
Vitamin A increases the presence of HIV in breast milk, studies suggest (August 27, 2010) -- Vitamin A and beta-carotene supplements are unsafe for HIV-positive women who breastfeed because they may boost the excretion of HIV in breast milk -- thereby increasing the chances of transmitting the infection to the child, a pair of new studies suggest. ... > full story
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