ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Monday, November 15, 2010
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Extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury uncovered in primate study (November 15, 2010) -- A new study shows unexpected and extensive natural recovery after spinal cord injury in primates. The findings may one day lead to the development of new treatments for patients with spinal cord injuries. ... > full story
Rare cold water coral ecosystem discovered off coast of Mauritania (November 15, 2010) -- A rare cold water coral reef with living animals has been discovered off the coast of Mauritania. In the middle of the enormous rock formation of the undersea canyon area, scientists also stumbled across the giant deep sea oyster, a Methuselah among sea creatures. ... > full story
Researchers develop light technology to combat hospital infections (November 15, 2010) -- A pioneering lighting system that can kill hospital superbugs -- including MRSA and C. difficile -- has been developed by researchers in Scotland. The technology decontaminates the air and exposed surfaces by bathing them in a narrow spectrum of visible-light wavelengths, known as HINS-light. ... > full story
Invasive species pose major threat to fish in Mediterranean basin, large-scale study finds (November 15, 2010) -- An international team has carried out the first large-scale study of the threats facing freshwater fish in the Mediterranean basin. Invasive species, along with over-exploitation of water resources, are the most important pressures, and those that expose fish to the greatest risk of extinction. ... > full story
Proteins in motion: World’s largest video database of proteins for the pharmaceutical industry published (November 15, 2010) -- After four years of conducting intensive supercomputer calculations, scientists in Spain have presented the world’s largest database of protein motions. Called MoDEL, this new database holds more than 1,700 proteins and is partially accessible through the Internet to researchers worldwide. MoDEL has been developed to study the basic biology of proteins and to accelerate and facilitate the design of new pharmaceutical agents. ... > full story
Redeeming role for a common virus: Ability to kill cancer (November 14, 2010) -- A common virus that can cause coughing and mild diarrhea appears to have a major redemptive quality: the ability to kill cancer. Harnessing that power, researchers are conducting a clinical trial to see if the virus can target and kill certain tumor types. ... > full story
Seeing meat makes people significantly less aggressive (November 14, 2010) -- Seeing meat appears to make human beings significantly less aggressive, contrary to what researchers expected. ... > full story
Genomes of lyme disease bacteria sequenced (November 14, 2010) -- Scientists have determined the complete genetic blueprints for 13 different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The achievement should lead to a better understanding of how genetic variations among strains may result in different courses of illness in people with Lyme disease, the most common tickborne disease in North America. The wealth of new genetic data will also help scientists develop improved ways to diagnose, treat and prevent Lyme disease. ... > full story
Mathematical equation calculates cost of walking for first time (November 14, 2010) -- Why do tall people burn less energy per kilogram when walking than shorter ones do, and how much energy does walking require? These are basic questions that doctors, trainers, fitness buffs and weight-watchers would all like to have answered, and now researchers from Texas have derived a fundamental equation to calculate how much energy walkers use, based simply on height and weight, which has direct applications across all walks of life. ... > full story
Catastrophic drought looms for capital city of Bolivia (November 14, 2010) -- Catastrophic drought is on the near-term horizon for the capital city of Bolivia, according to new research into the historical ecology of the Andes. If temperatures rise more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius (3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit) above those of modern times, parts of Peru and Bolivia will become a desert-like setting. ... > full story
Natural selection on not-so-natural plants (November 14, 2010) -- New research shows that while a genetically modified squash plant may be resistant to common virus transmitted by aphids, it's no match for bacteria transmitted by beetles. ... > full story
New explanation for the origin of high species diversity in Amazon (November 14, 2010) -- An international team of scientists has reset the agenda for future research in the highly diverse Amazon region by showing that the extraordinary diversity found there is much older than generally thought. ... > full story
Discovery could reveal secrets of ancient Martian and terrestrial atmospheres (November 13, 2010) -- Chemists have uncovered a new chemical reaction on tiny particulates in the atmosphere that could allow scientists to gain a glimpse from ancient rocks of what the atmospheres of the Earth and Mars were like hundreds of millions years ago. ... > full story
Researchers unlock a secret of bacteria's immune system (November 13, 2010) -- Researchers have unlocked a secret of bacteria's immune system. The discovery may eventually make it possible to prevent certain bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotics. The scientists showed that this mechanism, called CRISPR/Cas, works by selecting foreign DNA segments and inserting them into very specific locations in a bacterium's genome. ... > full story
New ocean acidification study shows added danger to already struggling coral reefs (November 13, 2010) -- Over the next century recruitment of new corals could drop by 73 percent, as rising carbon dioxide levels turn the oceans more acidic. New research findings reveal a new danger to the already threatened Caribbean and Florida reef Elkhorn corals. ... > full story
Keeping the daily clock ticking in a fluctuating environment: Hints from a green alga (November 13, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered a mechanism which explains how biological clocks accurately synchronize to the day/night cycle despite large fluctuations in light intensity during the day and from day to day. ... > full story
Oceanography researchers discover toxic algae in open water (November 13, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered toxic algae in vast, remote regions of the open ocean for the first time. Harmful algal blooms are reported as increasing both geographically and in frequency along populated coastlines. This latest research shows that the ubiquitous diatom Pseudo-nitzschia -- an alga that produces the neurotoxin, domoic acid, or DA, in coastal regions -- actually also produces DA at many locations in the open Pacific. ... > full story
Decisions made by communities of bacteria trump game theory (November 13, 2010) -- A scientist has outlined how decisions made by communities of bacteria trump game theory. "When human beings make a decision," he says, "they think they're being rational." Bacteria, he explains, are both simpler and more sophisticated -- they can more effectively control the superfluous noise around decision making and make group decisions that contribute to the well-being of the entire bacterial colony. ... > full story
Selected hens give new genetic insights (November 13, 2010) -- Studies of heavy, fast-growing hens and small, slow-growing hens provide important new knowledge on the origin of the genetic variation that has enabled them to adapt rapidly to new extreme environments. ... > full story
Overcoming the 'tragedy of the commons': Conditonal cooperation helps in forest preservation (November 13, 2010) -- According to the standard prediction large-scale cooperation in the management of commons is impossible, mainly because of free-riders. Yet, extensive field evidence indicates that many communities are able to manage their commons. Now an analysis of a major forest commons management program in Ethiopia provides first-time evidence that conditional cooperation which has been identified in many laboratory experiments before plays a key role. ... > full story
Vaccine for urinary tract infections is one step closer (November 12, 2010) -- Scientists are one step closer to a vaccine that could prevent a majority of urinary tract infections, which are caused by E. coli bacteria. The researchers studied how bacteria operate in human hosts and discovered key differences between how E. coli genes behave in women and how they behave in mice used in experiments. ... > full story
Scientists demystify an enzyme responsible for drug and food metabolism (November 12, 2010) -- Scientists have solved a 40-year-old puzzle about the mysterious process by which a critical enzyme metabolizes nutrients in foods and chemicals in drugs such as Tylenol, caffeine and opiates. The discovery may help future researchers develop a wide range of more efficient and less-expensive drugs, household products and other chemicals. ... > full story
Thousands of turtles captured in Madagascar despite ban (November 12, 2010) -- New research has revealed up to 16,000 endangered turtles are being caught each year by villagers in just one region of Madagascar, despite a government ban. Researchers say the figure, thought to be a conservative estimate, is the first direct assessment of turtle exploitation on the island. ... > full story
Modeling autism in a lab dish: Researchers create autistic neuron model (November 12, 2010) -- A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease. ... > full story
Stem cell transplants in mice produce lifelong enhancement of muscle mass (November 12, 2010) -- Specific types of stem cells transplanted into the leg muscles of mice prevented the loss of muscle function and mass that normally occurs with aging, a finding with potential uses in treating humans with chronic, degenerative muscle diseases. ... > full story
Oldest dinosaur embryos give insights into infancy and growth (November 12, 2010) -- After sitting in collections for nearly 30 years, some remarkably well-preserved dinosaur eggs and their contents are offering new insights into the infancy and growth of early dinosaurs. They represent the oldest embryos of any land-dwelling vertebrate ever found. The eggs, found in 1976 in South Africa, date from the early part of the Jurassic Period, 190 million years ago. They belong to Massospondylus, a member of a group of dinosaurs known as prosauropods that are the ancestors to the later sauropods -- the large, four-legged dinosaurs with long necks, typified by the popular ' Brontosaurus' and Diplodocus. ... > full story
'Toxic toy crisis' requires fresh solutions, experts say (November 12, 2010) -- Manufacturer recalls of toys, promotional drinking glasses, and other children's products constitute an ongoing "toxic toys crisis" that requires banning potentially harmful ingredients in these products and other changes in policy and practices, a new analysis concludes. ... > full story
Cats show perfect balance even in their lapping (November 12, 2010) -- Cats' gravity-defying grace and exquisite balance extends even to the way they lap milk, say researchers. They analyzed the way cats lap and found that felines of all sizes take advantage of a perfect balance between two physical forces -- gravity and inertia -- when they drink. Unlike dogs, cats aren't dipping their tongues into the liquid like ladles. Instead, the cat's lapping mechanism is far more subtle and elegant. ... > full story
New ultra-clean nanowires have great potential in solar cell technology and electronics (November 12, 2010) -- New ultra-clean nanowires will have a central role in the development of new high-efficiency solar cells and electronics on a nanometer scale. ... > full story
Why chocolate protects against heart disease (November 12, 2010) -- Numerous studies have shown that cocoa has a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. The reason for this has now been uncovered by researchers in Sweden. When a group of volunteers devoured a good-sized piece of dark chocolate, it inhibited an enzyme in their bodies that is known to raise blood pressure. ... > full story
Pain gene common to flies, mice and humans, researchers discover (November 12, 2010) -- While it has become clear in recent years that susceptibility to pain has a strong inherited component, very little is known about actual "pain genes" and how they work. In a new study, researchers report on a novel human pain gene. People with minor variations in this gene showed clear differences in susceptibility to acute heat pain and chronic back pain. ... > full story
A love game: Fish courtship more complex than thought (November 12, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that male Australian desert goby fish are surprisingly strategic when it comes to courtship, adapting their tactics depending on the frequency of their contact with females. ... > full story
New vaccine hope in fight against pneumonia and meningitis (November 12, 2010) -- A dramatic advance in understanding of how the body fights bacteria paves the way for more effective vaccines. ... > full story
How key drug kills worms in tropical diseases (November 12, 2010) -- Scientists have unlocked how a key anti-parasitic drug kills the worms brought on by the filarial diseases river blindness and elephantitis. Understanding how the drug ivermectin works has the potential to lead to new treatments for the diseases, in which the body is infected with parasitic worms. ... > full story
Invading weed threatens devastation to western rangelands (November 12, 2010) -- A new field study confirms that an invasive weed called medusahead has growth advantages over most other grass species, suggesting it will continue to spread across much of the West, disrupt native ecosystems and make millions of acres of grazing land almost worthless. ... > full story
Young, unsupervised children most at risk for dog bites, study shows; Dogs often target a child's face and eyes (November 12, 2010) -- As dog bites become an increasingly major public health concern, a new study shows that unsupervised children are most at risk for bites, that the culprits are usually family pets and if they bite once, they will bite again with the second attack often more brutal than the first. ... > full story
Extreme global warming in the ancient past (November 11, 2010) -- Variations in atmosphere carbon dioxide around 40 million years ago were tightly coupled to changes in global temperature, according to new findings. ... > full story
Nerve cells in the eyes of flies and vertebrates use similar process to split up optical information (November 11, 2010) -- The eye is not just a lens that takes pictures and converts them into electrical signals. As with all vertebrates, nerve cells in the human eye separate an image into different image channels once it has been projected onto the retina. This pre-sorted information is then transmitted to the brain as parallel image sequences. Scientists have now discovered that fruit flies process optical information in a similar way. The evidence suggests that this type of wiring is an effective energy-saving mechanism and is therefore deployed by a diverse range of animal species. ... > full story
Tropical forest diversity increased during ancient global warming event (November 11, 2010) -- Nearly 60 million years ago, rainforests prospered at temperatures that were 3-5 degrees higher and at atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 2.5 times today's levels, researchers report. Contrary to speculation that tropical forests could be devastated under these conditions, forest diversity increased rapidly during this warming event. New plant species evolved much faster than old species became extinct. Pollen from the passionflower plant family and the chocolate family, among others, were found for the first time. ... > full story
Oil spill vacuum cleaner uses bark for spills (November 11, 2010) -- Cleaning up oil spills is a time consuming, difficult process. But a novel approach developed by researchers in Norway uses a new kind of vacuum cleaner that blows bark or other absorbent material onto oil spills, and then sucks the material up again. ... > full story
Leaking underground CO<sub>2</sub> storage could contaminate drinking water, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- Leaks from carbon dioxide injected deep underground to help fight climate change could bubble up into drinking water aquifers near the surface, driving up levels of contaminants in the water tenfold or more in some places, according to a new study. ... > full story
Hope for Borneo's threatened biodiversity (November 11, 2010) -- To tackle species loss, representatives of the Rhino and Forest Fund (RFF) and of the Forestry Department of Sabah / Malaysia launched a long-term reforestation project to restore forest in Borneo. Borneo's unique biodiversity is threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation. To save endangered species like the Sabah rhino, the clouded leopard, or the orangutan, it is necessary to restore and reconnect degraded and fragmented forest land. ... > full story
Multiple fathers prevalent in Amazonian cultures, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- In modern culture, it is not considered socially acceptable for married people to have extramarital sexual partners. However, in some Amazonian cultures, extramarital sexual affairs were common, and people believed that when a woman became pregnant, each of her sexual partners would be considered part-biological father. Now, a new study has found that up to 70 percent of Amazonian cultures may have believed in the principle of multiple paternity. ... > full story
Grasses have potential as alternate ethanol crop, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- Money may not grow on trees, but energy could grow in grass. Researchers have completed the first extensive geographic yield and economic analysis of potential bioenergy grass crops in the Midwestern United States. The study found that miscanthus and switchgrass could be viable biofuel crops in the US in areas where the prospective grass yield is greater than current corn and soybean production. ... > full story
New dietary supplement reference materials could be 'berry' useful (November 11, 2010) -- Researchers have developed new certified reference materials for measuring amounts of organic acids in dietary supplements formulated with Vaccinium berries -- cranberries, blueberries and bilberries. Manufacturers and researchers can use this new suite of standard reference materials as quality assurance tools. ... > full story
Infant foods should be screened for mycotoxins, scientists say (November 11, 2010) -- Scientists call for protecting complementary food for infants in developing countries -- especially those where corn is a staple food -- against fumonisin, a toxin produced by fungi. Until now, physicians thought the growth retardation of children in those regions was to be blamed on the poor nutritional value of the complementary maize porridge they receive when breast milk is no longer sufficient. But toxins indeed are involved, scientists report. ... > full story
Improving soil for better lawns and gardens (November 11, 2010) -- US Department of Agriculture scientists in West Virginia are finding ways to improve soil on degraded land so it can be used for sports fields and other uses. ... > full story
Challenge of feeding the world (November 11, 2010) -- One of the biggest challenges facing the world today is how to feed the expected population of nine billion by 2050. A new paper identifies the top 100 questions for the future of global agriculture. ... > full story
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