ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Saturday, October 23, 2010
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Plants play larger role than thought in cleaning up air pollution, research shows (October 22, 2010) -- Vegetation plays an unexpectedly large role in cleansing the atmosphere, a new study finds. The research uses observations, gene expression studies, and computer modeling to show that deciduous plants absorb about a third more of a common class of air-polluting chemicals than previously thought. ... > full story
Succimer found ineffective for removing mercury (October 22, 2010) -- Succimer, a drug used for treating lead poisoning, does not effectively remove mercury from the body, according to new research. Some families have turned to succimer as an alternative therapy for treating autism. ... > full story
Value-added sulfur scrubbing: Converting acid rain chemicals into useful products (October 22, 2010) -- Power plants that burn fossil fuels remain the main source of electricity generation across the globe. Modern power plants have scrubbers to remove sulfur compounds from their flue gases, which has helped reduce the problem of acid rain. Now, researchers in India have devised a way to convert the waste material produced by the scrubbing process into value-added products. ... > full story
Another winter of extremes in store for U.S. as La Niña strengthens (October 22, 2010) -- The Pacific Northwest should brace for a colder and wetter than average winter, while most of the South and Southeast will be warmer and drier than average through February 2011, according to the annual Winter Outlook released by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. A moderate to strong La Niña will be the dominant climate factor influencing weather across most of the U.S. this winter. ... > full story
Scorpion has welcome sting for heart bypass patients (October 22, 2010) -- A toxin found in the venom of the Central American bark scorpion (Centruroides margaritatus) could hold the key to reducing heart bypass failures, according to new research. ... > full story
Arctic Report Card: Region continues to warm at unprecedented rate (October 22, 2010) -- The Arctic region, also called the "planet's refrigerator," continues to heat up, affecting local populations and ecosystems as well as weather patterns in the most populated parts of the Northern Hemisphere, according to a team of 69 international scientists. The findings were released in the Arctic Report Card, a yearly assessment of Arctic conditions. ... > full story
Scary chupacabras monster is as much victim as villain (October 22, 2010) -- As Halloween approaches, tales of monsters and creepy crawlies abound. Among the most fearsome is the legendary beast known as the chupacabras. ... > full story
From bees to coral reefs: Mutualisms might be more important to global ecosystem than previously thought (October 22, 2010) -- Relationships among organisms, or mutualisms, might be more important to global ecosystem health than previously thought, new research shows. ... > full story
Spotting suspicious moles (October 22, 2010) -- Most of the spots on our skin are perfectly harmless moles, collections of cells called melanocytes. But occasionally, these melanocytes turn cancerous, creating the potentially deadly skin tumor melanoma. Scientists have now developed a new technique that aims to help doctors distinguish melanomas from harmless moles using high-resolution snapshots of suspicious spots. ... > full story
Key difference in how TB bacteria degrade doomed proteins (October 22, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered a key difference in the way human cells and Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause TB, deliver unwanted proteins to their respective cellular recycling factories. This critical difference may help scientists design new anti TB drugs. ... > full story
Taking a closer look at plaque (October 22, 2010) -- Scientists are using the technique of Raman spectroscopy to study two common dental plaque bacteria, Streptococcus sanguis and mutans. The relative balance of the two may be an indicator of a patient's oral health and risk for tooth decay -- Streptococcus sanguis is associated with "healthy" plaque, while mutans is associated with tooth decay. ... > full story
Old logging practices linked to high erosion rates (October 22, 2010) -- Clear-cut logging and related road-building in the 1950s and 1960s in southern Oregon's Siskiyou Mountains disrupted soil stability and led to unprecedented soil erosion made worse during heavy rainstorms, researchers report. ... > full story
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