ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Friday, October 8, 2010
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Family ties bind desert lizards in social groups (October 8, 2010) -- Researchers have found that a species of lizard in the Mojave Desert lives in family groups and shows patterns of social behavior more commonly associated with mammals and birds. Their investigation of the formation and stability of family groups in desert night lizards provides new insights into the evolution of cooperative behavior. ... > full story
Researchers find no visible oil sands off Florida Panhandle, Alabama beaches (October 8, 2010) -- A team of researchers studying the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on northern Gulf of Mexico beaches say areas just offshore from some of Florida's most heavily oiled beaches appear to be free of visible oil contamination in the sediments. ... > full story
Elusive intermediary: Newly discovered protein may help improve crop yields, solar cells (October 8, 2010) -- Plants use specialized protein complexes to collect the light that drives photosynthesis. Researchers in Germany have now identified a protein that is necessary for the assembly of one such complex. The discovery could lead to improved crop yields and might even form the basis for new types of solar cells. ... > full story
Too much of a good thing: Human activities overload ecosystems with nitrogen (October 8, 2010) -- Humans are overloading ecosystems with nitrogen through the burning of fossil fuels and an increase in nitrogen-producing industrial and agricultural activities, according to a new study. While nitrogen is an element that is essential to life, it is an environmental scourge at high levels. ... > full story
New tool in the fight against tuberculosis: Algorithm enables cell-scale simulations (October 8, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a way to harness prodigious quantities of genomic and metabolic data by developing an algorithm that automatically integrates both data sets. The model, called probabilistic regulation of metabolism, enables researchers to perturb a regulatory gene or metabolic process and see how that affects the entire network. Although the researchers studied tuberculosis, the method holds promise for reconstructing network models for any organism with appropriate genomic data. ... > full story
Novel reference material to standardize gene therapy applications (October 8, 2010) -- The introduction of a new, fully characterized viral vector for use as reference material to help standardize gene therapy protocols in research applications and human clinical trials is described in a new article. ... > full story
Structure of plastic solar cells impedes their efficiency (October 8, 2010) -- Scientists have found that the low rate of energy conversion in all-polymer solar-cell technology is caused by the structure of the solar cells themselves. ... > full story
Volcanoes wiped out Neanderthals, new study suggests (October 7, 2010) -- New research suggests that climate change following massive volcanic eruptions drove Neanderthals to extinction and cleared the way for modern humans to thrive in Europe and Asia. ... > full story
Bacteria to blame in asthma attacks in children, research suggests (October 7, 2010) -- Doctors have long known that viral infections can bring about asthma attacks and the shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing associated with them. But while viral infections cannot be treated, scientists have discovered that treatable bacterial infections can also cause asthma attacks. The discovery could revolutionize treatment. ... > full story
Research identifies the herbal supplements that are effective in treating anxiety (October 7, 2010) -- A systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements for the treatment of anxiety disorders has found strong evidence for the use of extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine. Researcherspooled the results of 24 studies involving a total of more than 2000 participants, showing that some nutritional and herbal supplements can be effective, without the risk of serious side effects. ... > full story
Norwegian researchers at forefront of oil spill modelling after Deepwater Horizon accident (October 7, 2010) -- What has happened to the 4.9. million barrels of crude oil that were discharged in the Deepwater Horizon accident? Has it dissolved in the water masses? Has it accumulated in the ocean depths? Among those seeking answers are Norwegian researchers at the forefront of modelling oil behaviour in water masses. One commonly used tactic for managing spilled oil is to apply large amounts of chemical dispersants. Norwegian researchers have provided expertise in the modelling and use of dispersants in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico accident. ... > full story
Crop failures set to increase under climate change (October 7, 2010) -- Large-scale crop failures like the one that caused the recent Russian wheat crisis are likely to become more common under climate change due to an increased frequency of extreme weather events, a new study shows. ... > full story
Bacteria keep tabs on state of oil field (October 7, 2010) -- The ups and downs of the bacteria in an oil field provide a useful source of information for keeping tabs on the state of the oil field itself. In theory, this process known as 'biomonitoring' can increase the yield from an oil field. ... > full story
Rare Japanese plant has largest genome known to science (October 7, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that Paris japonica, a striking rare native of Japan, has the largest genome of them all -- bigger than the human genome and even larger than the previous record holder -- the marbled lungfish. ... > full story
Air pollution linked to breast cancer, study suggests (October 7, 2010) -- Air pollution has already been linked to a range of health problems. Now, a ground-breaking new study suggests pollution from traffic may put women at risk for another deadly disease. The study links the risk of breast cancer -- the second leading cause of death from cancer in women -- to traffic-related air pollution. ... > full story
Vultures use face flushing technique for instant status updates (October 7, 2010) -- Tech savvy humans who use social media sites to instantly update their "statuses" may be behaving like vultures who use "face flushing" as a visible way of instantly updating their own status when interacting with peers and rivals. Research reveals how the ability to rapidly change skin color is a key form of interaction for vultures, especially for displays of dominance. ... > full story
Number of synapses shown to vary between night and day, zebrafish study finds (October 7, 2010) -- With the help of tiny, see-through fish, researchers are homing in on what happens in the brain while you sleep. In a new study, they show how the circadian clock and sleep affect the scope of neuron-to-neuron connections in a particular region of the brain, and they identified a gene that appears to regulate the number of these connections, called synapses. ... > full story
Fish near coal-fired power plants have lower levels of mercury (October 7, 2010) -- Fish located near coal-fired power plants have lower levels of mercury than fish that live much further away. The surprising finding appears to be linked to high levels of another chemical, selenium, found near such facilities, which unfortunately poses problems of its own. ... > full story
Greatest warming is in the north, but biggest impact on life is in the tropics, new research shows (October 7, 2010) -- New research adds to growing evidence that, even though the temperature increase associated with a warming climate has been smaller in the tropics, the impact of warming on life could be much greater there than in colder climates. ... > full story
Volcano fuels massive phytoplankton bloom (October 7, 2010) -- New study shows that 2008 volcano in North Pacific fueled largest phytoplankton bloom in the region since satellite measurements began in 1997. This study has important implications for proposals to seed the oceans with iron to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Nature’s sights and sounds -- but not cityscapes and noise -- ease spinal pain during bone marrow extractions (October 7, 2010) -- As the song says, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and now researchers have found that the sights and sounds of chirping birds, ribbiting frogs and water trickling downstream can ease the substantial pain of bone marrow extraction in one of five people who must endure it. ... > full story
Long-extinct passenger pigeon finds a place in the family tree (October 7, 2010) -- With bits of DNA extracted from century-old museum specimens, researchers have found a place for the extinct passenger pigeon in the family tree of pigeons and doves, identifying for the first time this unique bird's closest living avian relatives. ... > full story
Hormone acting as 'molecular glue' could boost plant immune systems (October 7, 2010) -- The discovery of a hormone acting like molecular glue could hold a key to bolstering plant immune systems and understanding how plants cope with environmental stress. ... > full story
Deep-sea coral reefs discovered in Mediterranean (October 7, 2010) -- The exploration vessel Nautilus has discovered for the first time an area of reefs with deep-sea corals in the Mediterranean, offshore of Israel. This area apparently stretches over a few kilometers, 700 meters under the surface and some 30-40 km off the coast. ... > full story
Decline in Sun's activity does not always mean that Earth becomes cooler, study shows (October 7, 2010) -- The Sun's activity has recently affected Earth's atmosphere and climate in unexpected ways, according to a new study. The research shows that a decline in the sun's activity does not always mean that Earth becomes cooler. ... > full story
Children, males and blacks are at increased risk for food allergies, study finds (October 7, 2010) -- A new study estimates that 2.5 percent of the United States population, or about 7.6 million Americans, have food allergies. Food allergy rates were found to be higher for children, non-Hispanic blacks, and males, according to the researchers. The odds of male black children having food allergies were 4.4 times higher than others in the general population. ... > full story
Breakthrough test rapidly identifies river blindness (October 6, 2010) -- Scientists have developed the first screening method that rapidly identifies individuals with active river blindness, a parasitic disease that afflicts an estimated 37 million people. The test could change the current strategy of mass treatment in areas where river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, is suspected. ... > full story
New role for master regulator in cell metabolism, response to stress: Clinical implications for obesity, diabetes and cancer research (October 6, 2010) -- Biologists have been studying how AMPK works for several decades and know that once it is activated, AMPK turns on a large number of genes by passing the "make more energy" message through numerous signaling cascades in the cell. What was not known, until now, was that AMPK also works via an epigenetic mechanism to slow down or stop cell growth. ... > full story
Doppler radars help increase monsoon rainfall prediction accuracy (October 6, 2010) -- Doppler weather radar will significantly improve forecasting models used to track monsoon systems influencing the monsoon in and around India, according to researchers. ... > full story
New fossil suggests dinosaurs not so fierce after all (October 6, 2010) -- A new species of dinosaur discovered in Arizona suggests dinosaurs did not spread throughout the world by overpowering other species, but by taking advantage of a natural catastrophe that wiped out their competitors. ... > full story
Bee pastures may help pollinators prosper (October 6, 2010) -- Beautiful wildflowers might someday be planted in "bee pastures," floral havens created as an efficient, practical, environmentally friendly, and economically sound way to produce successive generations of healthy young bees. The pesticide-free pastures could be simple to establish, and -- at perhaps only a half-acre each -- easy to tend. ... > full story
Maggot art used to educate youngsters (October 6, 2010) -- Typically, most people don't warm up to the idea of handling blow fly larvae, known better as maggots. But for one biologist and entomologist, the wiggling insect larvae are tools that are an integral part of crime scene investigation and, for children, a basic introduction into the life cycle of insects and the valuable role they play in nature. ... > full story
Air pollution alters immune function, worsens asthma symptoms, study finds (October 6, 2010) -- Exposure to dirty air is linked to decreased function of a gene that appears to increase the severity of asthma in children, according to a new study. While air pollution is known to be a source of immediate inflammation, this new study provides one of the first pieces of direct evidence that explains how some ambient air pollutants could have long-term effects. ... > full story
New class of objects encoded within the genome: Non-coding RNA molecules function similar to gene enhancer elements (October 6, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered the ability of long non-coding RNA (ncRNA), encoded within our genome, to promote gene expression. The researchers believe these long ncRNA molecules may represent so-called gene enhancer elements -- short regions of DNA that can increase gene transcription. While scientists have known about gene enhancers for decades, there has been no consensus about how these enhancers work. ... > full story
Possible green replacement for asphalt derived from petroleum to be tested on Iowa bike trail (October 6, 2010) -- Christopher Williams was just trying to see if adding bio-oil to asphalt would improve the hot- and cold-weather performance of pavements. What he found was a possible green replacement for asphalt derived from petroleum. ... > full story
Oldest evidence of dinosaurs in footprints: Dinosaur lineage emerged soon after massive Permian extinction (October 6, 2010) -- Scientists have found the oldest evidence of the dinosaur lineage -- fossilized tracks. Just one or two million years after the massive Permian-Triassic extinction, an animal smaller than a house cat walked across fine mud in what is now Poland. ... > full story
Climate change affects horseshoe crab numbers (October 6, 2010) -- Having survived for more than 400 million years, the horseshoe crab is now under threat -- primarily due to overharvest and habitat destruction. However, climatic changes may also play a role, according to a new study. ... > full story
Geothermal mapping project reveals large, green energy source in West Virginia (October 6, 2010) -- New research suggests that the temperature of Earth beneath the state of West Virginia is significantly higher than previously estimated and capable of supporting commercial baseload geothermal energy production. ... > full story
New way to explain the leading cause of kidney failure (October 6, 2010) -- New research offers a completely new explanation for why people with diabetes account for more than half of all patients requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation. It appears that insulin has a significant influence on the structure and proper function of a particular group of very specialized cells, known as podocytes, that are integral to the kidney's ability to do its job filtering blood. ... > full story
Antarctic sea ice increase not linked to ozone hole, new research shows (October 6, 2010) -- While sea ice extent has declined dramatically in the Arctic in recent years, it has increased slightly in the Antarctic. Some scientists have suggested that increased Antarctic sea ice extent can be explained by the ozone hole over Antarctica. Previous simulations have indicated that the ozone hole induces a large change in atmospheric circulation in austral summer and that this change in circulation could contribute to the changing Antarctic sea extent. ... > full story
Rare oasis of life discovered near geothermal vents on floor of Yellowstone Lake (October 6, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a rare oasis of life in the midst of hundreds of geothermal vents at the bottom of Yellowstone Lake. ... > full story
Nano design, just like in nature (October 6, 2010) -- Researchers in Austria are using biological principles as the inspiration to develop a new bionic fuel cell. ... > full story
Key reproductive hormone in oldest living vertebrate identified (October 6, 2010) -- Researchers have identified the first reproductive hormone of the hagfish -- a gonadatropin -- representing a significant step toward unraveling the mystery of hagfish reproduction. At 500 million years old, hagfish are the oldest living vertebrate, predating the dinosaurs. ... > full story
Study examines ICU outbreak of staph aureus with resistance to methicillin and linezolid (October 6, 2010) -- An outbreak of infection due to linezolid and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LRSA) in 12 intensive care unit patients in Spain was associated with transmission within the hospital and extensive usage of the antibiotic linezolid, often used for the treatment of serious infections, with reductions in linezolid use and infection-control measures associated with resolution of the outbreak, according to a new study. ... > full story
Invasive tallowtree spreading rapidly across Gulf coast (October 6, 2010) -- The numbers of nonnative Chinese tallowtree in Louisiana, Mississippi and east Texas have grown by about 370 percent over a 16-year period. The spread of the invasive plant may create problems for plants and wildlife along the Gulf coast. ... > full story
Call to heal the world's coral reefs (October 6, 2010) -- There is still time to save the world's ailing coral reefs, if prompt and decisive action can be taken to improve their overall health, leading marine researchers say. Writing in a new article, eminent marine scientists from Australia and the US have called for an international effort to improve the resilience of coral reefs, so they can withstand the impacts of climate change and other human activities. ... > full story
Novelty and complexity are result of small evolutionary changes (October 5, 2010) -- By reconstructing an ancient protein and tracing how it subtly changed over vast periods of time to produce scores of modern-day descendants, scientists have shown how evolution tinkers with early forms and leaves the impression that complexity evolved many times. ... > full story
Limited number of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes cause most invasive pneumococcal disease (October 5, 2010) -- Contrary to current thinking, the group of serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae responsible for most invasive pneumococcal disease worldwide is conserved across regions, according to new research. ... > full story
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