ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Sunday, October 10, 2010
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New deep-sea hot springs discovered in Atlantic: Hydrothermal vents may contribute more to oceans' thermal budget (October 9, 2010) -- Hydrothermal vents may contribute more to the thermal budget of the oceans than previously assumed. Scientists on board the German research vessel Meteor have discovered a new hydrothermal vent 500 kilometres south-west of the Azores. ... > full story
Plants kick-started evolutionary drama of Earth's oxygenation (October 9, 2010) -- Scientists have taken a significant step toward unlocking the secrets of oxygenation of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere. The new research indicates that the appearance of large predatory fish as well as vascular plants approximately 400 million years ago coincided with an increase in oxygen, to levels comparable to those we experience today. If so, then animals from before that time appeared and evolved under markedly lower oxygen conditions than previously thought. ... > full story
Vaccinations should continue as influenza pandemics epidemics wane, experts urge (October 9, 2010) -- Influenza pandemics often come in multiple waves. As the one wave subsides, public health officials have to decide whether continuing vaccination programs is warranted to prevent or reduce a subsequent wave. Researchers now report on a new computer model that can be used to predict both subsequent-wave mechanisms and vaccination effectiveness. They conclude that additional waves in an epidemic can be mitigated by vaccination even when an epidemic appears to be waning. ... > full story
Haze on Saturn's moon Titan may hold ingredients for life (October 8, 2010) -- Simulating possible chemical processes in the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, a planetary research team found amino acids and nucleotide bases in the mix -- the most important ingredients of life on Earth. ... > full story
Killer disease decimates UK frog populations (October 8, 2010) -- Common frog (Rana temporaria) populations across the UK are suffering dramatic population crashes due to infection from the emerging disease Ranavirus, new research reveals. ... > full story
Measurements of CO<sub>2</sub> and CO in China's air indicate sharply improved combustion efficiency (October 8, 2010) -- A collaborative, six-year study of carbon dioxide levels in Beijing and surrounding provinces suggests that combustion efficiency, a component of overall energy efficiency, is improving in the region. The findings are generally consistent with official Chinese government statistics and could bolster their credibility as international negotiations proceed on commitments of China and other nations to combat climate change. ... > full story
Yersinia pestis bacteria confirmed as cause of Middle Ages 'Black Death' plague epidemic (October 8, 2010) -- The latest tests conducted by anthropologists in Germany have proven that the bacteria Yersinia pestis was indeed the causative agent behind the "Black Death" that raged across Europe in the Middle Ages. ... > full story
Scientists trick bacteria into embedding small molecules in cell wall (October 8, 2010) -- Scientists have engineered the cell wall of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, tricking it into incorporating foreign small molecules and embedding them within the cell wall. The discovery represents the first time scientists have engineered the cell wall of a "Gram-positive" bacteria, and could pave the way for new methods of combating the bacteria responsible for many of the most infectious diseases. ... > full story
Bacteria can stand-up and 'walk' (October 8, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that bacteria are capable of "standing up" and moving while vertical. Apart from being an extraordinary insight into the behavior of bacteria, the findings have important biomedical implications. ... > full story
How bacteria become resistant to antibiotics (October 8, 2010) -- New research suggests that bacteria are remarkably resilient to toxic substances, such as antibiotics, because bacteria have the innate ability to produce a large variety of proteins. Those proteins then are able to do things such as pump toxins out or alter toxins so that they can no longer kill the bacteria. ... > full story
Female fish flaunt fins to attract a mate (October 8, 2010) -- For the first time, biologists have described the evolution of the size of a female trait which males use to choose a partner. The research shows that male cichlid fish prefer females with a larger pelvic fin and that this drives females to grow fins out of proportion with their body size. ... > full story
Chemists simplify biodiesel conversion (October 8, 2010) -- Chemists have streamlined the conversion of waste vegetable oil into biodiesel, eliminating the need for corrosive chemicals to perform the reactions. The researchers were able to pull off the waste vegetable oil-to-biodiesel conversion in a single reaction vessel using environmentally friendly catalysts and making the conversion six times faster than current methods. ... > full story
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