ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, October 14, 2010
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Highly pathogenic bird flu virus can survive months on steel or glass at cooler temperatures (October 14, 2010) -- On the eve of the 2010-11 influenza flu season, scientists and engineers have identified the environmental conditions and surfaces that could enable a highly pathogenic bird flu virus to survive for prolonged periods of time -- at least two weeks and up to two months. Among them: the virus appears to thrive at cooler temperatures and low humidity. The study could lead to new strategies for preventing the flu virus from spreading. ... > full story
Reservoirs: A neglected source of methane emissions (October 14, 2010) -- Substantial amounts of the greenhouse gas methane are released not only from large tropical reservoirs but also from run-of-the-river reservoirs in Switzerland, especially in the summer, when water temperatures are higher. Hydropower may therefore not be quite as climate-neutral a method of generating electricity as thought. ... > full story
Over-the-counter 'natural' weight-reducing products can cause harm and may even kill, Hong Kong study warns (October 14, 2010) -- The desire for a quick-fix for obesity fuels a lucrative market in so-called natural remedies. But a study of medical records in Hong Kong revealed 66 cases where people were suspected to have been poisoned by a "natural" slimming therapy. In eight cases the people became severely ill, and in one case the person died. ... > full story
Crucial link in immune development and regulation unearthed (October 14, 2010) -- Scientists have uncovered a quality-control mechanism that must take place for our immune system to subsequently effectively destroy harmful viruses and bacteria. ... > full story
Modeling Pakistan's flooding (October 14, 2010) -- New computer model software is being used to simulate Pakistan's flooding, estimate the drawdown of the floodwaters and predict how long it will take the waters to recede. ... > full story
Nectar production in Lima beans depends on light quality (October 14, 2010) -- Plants produce nectar to attract insect pollinators. Some plant species also secrete nectar to attract ants which in turn fend off herbivores. Scientists now have discovered that the production of the extrafloral nectar is light dependent. The plants were able not only to distinguish between day and night, but also to adapt their nectar secretion to current light conditions by using their special photoreceptor, the phytochrome. ... > full story
Rare melt key to ‘Ring of Fire’ (October 13, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered the explanation for why the world's explosive volcanoes are confined to bands only a few tens of kilometers wide, such as those along the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. Most of the molten rock that comes out of these volcanoes is rich in water, but the team has shown that the volcanoes are aligned above narrow regions in the mantle where water-free melting can take place. ... > full story
Can Hungary's red sludge be made less toxic with carbon? (October 13, 2010) -- The red, metal-laden sludge that escaped a containment pond in Hungary last week could be made less toxic with the help of carbon sequestration, says a geologist who has a patent pending on the technique. The bauxite residue now covers 40 square kilometers south of the Danube River, and has caused the deaths of eight Hungarians and injured at least 150. ... > full story
Personality and exercise levels may be linked -- not just in humans, but other animals too (October 13, 2010) -- There may be a fundamental link between aspects of an individual's personality and their capacity to exercise or generate energy, recent research suggests. Humans are not the only animals that choose to exercise, and individuals within the same species differ in their levels of activity. ... > full story
Coral records show ocean thermocline rise with global warming (October 13, 2010) -- Researchers looking at corals in the western tropical Pacific Ocean have found records linking a profound shift in the depth of the division between warm surface water and colder, deeper water traceable to recent global warming. ... > full story
Ancient animal urine provides insight into climate change (October 13, 2010) -- Scientists in the UK are using an unusual resource to investigate ancient climates -- prehistoric animal urine. ... > full story
Consuming vegetables linked to decreased breast cancer risk in African-American women (October 13, 2010) -- Investigators have reported that African American women who consume more vegetables are less likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than women with low vegetable intake. ... > full story
Climate change remains a real threat to corals (October 13, 2010) -- Hopes that coral reefs might be able to survive, and recover from, bleaching caused by climate change may have grown dimmer for certain coral species, according to new research. ... > full story
Study of planarian hormones may aid in understanding parasitic flatworms (October 13, 2010) -- A study of peptide hormones in the brain of a seemingly primitive flatworm reveals the surprising complexity of its nervous system and opens up a new approach for combating a major parasitic disease, researchers report. ... > full story
Human tissue, organs help scientists learn from plutonium and uranium workers (October 13, 2010) -- Tucked away in a metal sided warehouse at the Richland Airport, Washington State University researchers sift through years, even decades, of data files and human tissue samples in an attempt to track how previous nuclear workers were affected by plutonium, uranium and other nuclear-industry related elements. ... > full story
Ocean acidification poses little threat to whales’ hearing, study suggests (October 13, 2010) -- Contrary to some previous, highly publicized, reports, ocean acidification is not likely to worsen the hearing of whales and other animals, according to a scientist who studies sound propagation in the ocean. ... > full story
Regional sea temperature rise and coral bleaching event in Western Caribbean (October 13, 2010) -- Researchers are reporting an anomalous sea temperature rise and a major coral bleaching event in the Western Caribbean. ... > full story
Better way to study proteins in the body: Could streamline development of drugs (October 13, 2010) -- Using a combination of high-powered computers and advanced experimental magnetic resonance data, a biophysical chemist has developed techniques that improve the way scientists can study and predict the structure and dynamics of proteins found in the human body. His innovations could ultimately shorten the time it takes researchers to develop new, more effective drugs and better understand biomedical processes that underlie a variety of health conditions. ... > full story
Prenatal treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis could reduce risk of brain damage (October 13, 2010) -- Prenatal treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis with antibiotics might substantially reduce the proportion of infected fetuses that develop serious neurological sequelae (brain damage, epilepsy, deafness, blindness or developmental problems) or die, according to new research. ... > full story
Nutrition labels on food and drinks in the UK: Available, understood but not always used to make healthy choices (October 13, 2010) -- The latest nutrition label research supports the view that UK consumers are exposed to basic nutrition information on food labels, understand them, but may not have the motivation to use labels to make healthy choices. ... > full story
Monarch butterflies use medicinal plants to treat offspring for disease (October 12, 2010) -- Monarch butterflies appear to use medicinal plants to treat their offspring for disease, and that some species of milkweed, the larva's food plants, can reduce parasite infection in the monarchs. The research also found that infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on plants that will make their offspring less sick, suggesting that monarchs have evolved the ability to medicate their offspring. ... > full story
Gene linked to drug resistance in malaria pinpointed (October 12, 2010) -- Scientists have shed light on how malaria is able to resist treatment with a leading drug. Researchers have identified a gene that enables the parasite that causes the infection to resist treatment with the plant-based remedy artemisinin. ... > full story
How immune response in pregnancy may lead to brain dysfunction in offspring (October 12, 2010) -- A pregnant woman's immune response to viral infections may induce subtle neurological changes in the unborn child that can lead to an increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders including schizophrenia and autism. Research provides new insights into how this may happen and suggests potential strategies for reducing this risk. ... > full story
Hope for a new treatment for bone cancer: Can 'friendly' bacteria kill cancer cells? (October 12, 2010) -- Children and young people who are diagnosed with bone cancer could benefit from better treatment in the future, thanks to new research that is testing a theory that 'friendly bacteria' can be used to kill bone cancer cells. ... > full story
Whale poop pumps up ocean health (October 12, 2010) -- Whales carry nutrients, especially nitrogen, from the depths where they feed back to the surface via their feces. This waste strongly enhances productivity of fisheries, scientists have found. They've called their discovery a "whale pump," reversing the assumption that whales accelerate loss of nutrients to the bottom. This nitrogen input in the Gulf of Maine is more than the input of all rivers combined, 23,000 metric tons annually. ... > full story
Bacteria grow electrical hair: Specialized bacterial filaments shown to conduct electricity (October 12, 2010) -- Some bacteria grow electrical hair that lets them link up in big biological circuits, according to a study in PNAS. The finding suggests that microbial colonies may survive, communicate and share energy in part through electrically conducting hairs known as bacterial nanowires. ... > full story
Neural pathways governing switching of fear responses in zebrafish identified (October 12, 2010) -- A new study on the behavior of the zebrafish has uncovered a key role for a region of the brain on the development of fear responses. The discovery provides valuable insights applicable to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental illnesses. ... > full story
Natural nano particles en route to 'sick cells' (October 12, 2010) -- A new and rapidly growing discipline called physical virology studies viruses, which can be viewed as 'natural nanoparticles', from a physics perspective. A new article reviews fundamental insights and sketches a picture of possible medicinal applications, such as viral transport of specific substances to cells. ... > full story
Dogs showing separation-related behavior exhibit a 'pessimistic mood' (October 12, 2010) -- Many dogs become distressed when left home alone, and they show it by barking, destroying things, or toileting indoors. Now, a new study suggests that this kind of separation anxiety occurs most often in dogs that also show "pessimistic"-like behavior. ... > full story
Scientists turn snails into slug-like creatures (October 12, 2010) -- Biologists have re-shaped the body design of snails. Exposure to platinum results in the formation of an internal shell instead of the normal external shell. During embryogenesis of the freshwater snail a time slot of just one or two days determines whether the animals form an outer shell or not. Reprogramming of the direction of growth of the molluscs´ shell-generating tissue during this sensitive phase prevents the development of the usual convoluted shell. In lieu thereof a small hollow cone grows inside the body -- similar to whats happens in squids. ... > full story
Population change: Another big influence on climate change (October 12, 2010) -- Changes in population, including aging and urbanization, could significantly affect global emissions of carbon dioxide over the next 40 years, according to a new study. ... > full story
Birds could signal mass extinction (October 12, 2010) -- The first detailed measurements of current extinction rates for a specific region have shown that birds are the best group to use to track the losses. The study also reveals Britain may be losing species over ten times faster than records suggest, and the speed of loss is probably increasing: the losses from England alone may exceed one species every two weeks. ... > full story
Invasive honeysuckle increase risk of tick-borne disease in suburbs (October 12, 2010) -- We often read about dreadful new zoonoses -- animal diseases that are now infecting people -- that have jumped species in distant parts of the world such as Asia or Africa and are now headed our way. But Missouri has its own new zoonoses, tick-borne diseases whose spread is encouraged by pest species such as white-tailed deer and invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle. In Missouri as in Africa or Asia, the loss of a biodiversity takes a toll in human health. ... > full story
Global carbon cycle: Tiny creatures may play a crucial role in mixing ocean nutrients (October 12, 2010) -- Studies of microscopic swimming creatures show that the fluid flow they produce is much more complex than previously believed, and leads to large scale stirring of oceans and lakes that could affect the global carbon cycle. ... > full story
On the trail of the epigenetic code: Test system on Drosophila should provide the key to histone function (October 12, 2010) -- Test system on fruit flies should provide the key to histone function. The genetic inherited material DNA was long viewed as the sole bearer of hereditary information. The function of its packaging proteins, the histones, was believed to be exclusively structural. Additional genetic information can be stored, however, and passed on to subsequent generations through chemical changes in the DNA or histones. Scientists have succeeded in creating an experimental system for testing the function of such chemical histone modifications and their influence on the organism. ... > full story
Invisible world teeming with microscopic algae revealed (October 12, 2010) -- It just got easier to pinpoint biological hot spots in the world's oceans where some inhabitants are smaller than, well, a pinpoint. Tiny as they may be, communities of the phytoplankton south of Vancouver Island are big players when it comes to carbon: They take up 50 percent of the carbon dioxide going from the atmosphere into the oceans there. ... > full story
In elevated carbon dioxide, soybeans stumble but invasive cheatgrass keeps on truckin' (October 12, 2010) -- Scientists once thought the fertilization effect of rising carbon dioxide concentrations would offset factors such as higher temperatures or drier soils that would reduce crops yields. This view is turning out to be overly optimistic. A new study shows that soybeans switch into unproductive metabolic activity at higher carbon dioxide concentrations. The invasive cheatgrass, on the other hand, has no switch, or control, and continues to efficiently transport water and assimilate carbon. ... > full story
How voracious comb jellyfish makes itself 'invisible' to prey (October 11, 2010) -- Despite its primitive structure, the North American comb jellyfish can sneak up on its prey like a high-tech stealth submarine, making it a successful predator. Researchers have now been able to show how the jellyfish makes itself hydrodynamically 'invisible'. ... > full story
NASA partnership sends earth science data to Africa (October 11, 2010) -- A unique partnership between NASA and agencies in Africa and Europe has sent more than 30 terabytes of free Earth science satellite data to South African researchers to support sustainable development and environmental applications in Africa. ... > full story
New understanding of bizarre extinct mammal: Shares common ancestor with rodents, primates (October 11, 2010) -- Researchers presenting new fossil evidence of an exceptionally well-preserved 55-million-year-old North American mammal have found it shares a common ancestor with rodents and primates, including humans. ... > full story
Study details structure of potential target for HIV and cancer drugs (October 11, 2010) -- In a technical tour de force, structural biologists have determined the three-dimensional structure of a molecule involved in HIV infection and in many forms of cancer. The high-resolution structure sheds light on how the molecule functions and could point to ways to control its activity, potentially locking out HIV and stalling cancer's spread. ... > full story
Using buildings for flood protection (October 11, 2010) -- Buildings, car parks and roads could, alongside their 'regular' functions, have a role to play in protecting the rest of the city from flooding. This concept could be very useful for the Dutch cities along the River Rhine, for example. ... > full story
Huge parts of world are drying up: Land 'evapotranspiration' taking unexpected turn (October 11, 2010) -- The soils in large areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including major portions of Australia, Africa and South America, have been drying up in the past decade, a group of researchers conclude in the first major study to ever examine "evapotranspiration" on a global basis. ... > full story
High risk of acute mountain sickness on Mount Kilimanjaro (October 11, 2010) -- Climbers of high peaks such as Mount Kilimanjaro are at high risk for acute mountain sickness (AMS). Trekkers should not ignore AMS warning signs, which can progress to more serious medical outcomes. Mountain climbers can best minimize their risk for altitude sickness by becoming acclimatized to increased altitudes before an ascent, according to a new study. ... > full story
Efficient, inexpensive plastic solar cells coming soon (October 11, 2010) -- Physicists have discovered new properties in a material that could result in efficient and inexpensive plastic solar cells. The discovery reveals that excitons, or energy-carrying particles generated by photons, can travel on the order of a thousand times farther in organic semiconductors than scientists previously observed. This boosts scientists' hopes that organic solar cells may one day overtake silicon in cost and performance. ... > full story
New mongoose-like carnivorous mammal discovered in Madagascar (October 11, 2010) -- A new species of small carnivore, known as Durrell's vontsira (Salanoia durrelli) has been identified by researchers. The small, cat-sized, speckled brown carnivore from the marshes of the Lac Alaotra wetlands in central eastern Madagascar weighs just over half a kilogramme and belongs to a family of carnivores only known from Madagascar. It is likely to be one of the most threatened carnivores in the world. ... > full story
Better synchronization helps fish deal with predator threat (October 11, 2010) -- Fish alter their movements when under threat from predators to keep closer together and to help them to blend into the crowd, according to new research. Scientists used a combined computer simulation and experimental study of group behavior to discover that shoaling fish coordinate their movements more frequently when under threat. ... > full story
How marine animals survive stress: Findings indicate how wildlife responds to environmental and ecological disasters (October 11, 2010) -- Research of how Galapagos marine iguanas respond to El Niño could provide insight into how wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico will respond to the current oil spill. In emergencies, animals secrete corticosterone to help them cope. However, prolonged hormone production can also be lethal. ... > full story
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