ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, December 16, 2010
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Feast, famine and the genetics of obesity: You can't have it both ways (December 16, 2010) -- In addition to fast food, desk jobs, and inertia, there is one more thing to blame for unwanted pounds -- our genome, which has apparently not caught up with the fact that we no longer live in the Stone Age. ... > full story
How hard are we pushing the land? Plant consumption rising significantly as population grows and economies develop (December 16, 2010) -- Humans are consuming an increasing amount of Earth's total annual land plant production, new NASA research has found. As the human population continues to grow and more societies develop modern economies, this rate of consumption is increasing both as a whole and on a per capita basis globally. ... > full story
Protecting the Amazon rainforest: Extensive inventory forms basis for legislation governing when trees in the Brazilian rainforests can be logged (December 16, 2010) -- The forestry industry in a highly sensitive part of the Amazon rainforest has just become more sustainable thanks to the work of a team of researchers. They produced an inventory of extensive forest areas, regularly flooded by the Amazon and Solimões rivers, and calculated the rates of growth and reproduction of individual species of trees. The Brazilian state of Amazonas has taken these findings as the basis for its new logging legislation for the floodplain forests. ... > full story
Similarities in the embryonic development of various animal species are also found at molecular level (December 15, 2010) -- The astonishing similarity in the appearance of embryos from different animal species was observed as far back as the 19th century by scientists such as Karl von Baer, Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel. Such observations prompted the hypothesis that the individual development of an organism reflects its evolutionary history or phylogeny. Two groups of scientists have now succeeded in demonstrating, for the first time, that parallels exist between individual development and phylogeny on the level of gene expression. ... > full story
'Green genes' in yeast may boost biofuel production by increasing stress tolerance (December 15, 2010) -- An effort to increase biofuel production has led scientists to discover genes in yeast that improve their tolerance to ethanol, allowing the production of more ethanol from the same amount of nutrients. A new study shows how genetically altered yeast cells survive higher ethanol concentrations, addressing a bottleneck in the production of ethanol from cellulosic material (nonfood plant sources) in quantities that could compete economically with fossil fuels. ... > full story
Polar bears still on thin ice, but cutting greenhouse gases now can avert extinction, experts say (December 15, 2010) -- New research indicates that that if humans reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly in the next decade or two, enough Arctic ice is likely to remain intact during late summer and early autumn for polar bears to survive. ... > full story
Plasma therapy: An alternative to antibiotics? (December 15, 2010) -- Cold plasma jets could be a safe, effective alternative to antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant infections, according to a new study. ... > full story
Epstein-Barr: Scientists decode secrets of a very common virus that can cause cancer (December 15, 2010) -- About 90 percent of people are infected at some time in their lives with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), usually with no ill effects. But individuals with compromised immune systems, such as people with organ transplants or HIV infection, have a greater risk of cancer occurring because of this virus. Scientists have discovered a pathway that infected cells use to root out EBV infections, a finding that has implications for understanding the human response to cancer-causing viruses in general. ... > full story
Compound derived from curry spice is neuroprotective against stroke and traumatic brain injury (December 15, 2010) -- A synthetic derivative of the curry spice turmeric dramatically improves the behavioral and molecular deficits seen in animal models of ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury. Two new studies suggest that the novel compound may have clinical promise for these conditions, which currently lack good therapies. ... > full story
New method for making tiny catalysts holds promise for air quality (December 15, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated a simpler method of adding iron to tiny carbon spheres to create catalytic materials that have the potential to remove contaminants from gas or liquid. In one continuous process, it produces tiny, micrometer-sized spheres of porous, spongy carbon embedded with iron nanoparticles -- all in the span of a few seconds. ... > full story
Fabric softener sheets repel gnats: Scientists prove Bounce sheets fend off insect pests (December 15, 2010) -- Gardeners often claim that putting Bounce fabric softener sheets in their pockets is an effective way to repel pests like mosquitoes and gnats. In a new study, researchers discussed a series experiments they conducted to ascertain whether Bounce dryer sheets (Outdoor Fresh Scent, Procter and Gamble) repel fungus gnat adults under laboratory conditions. The research team also analyzed the volatile compounds in the dryer sheets using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. ... > full story
Increased BPA exposure linked to reduced egg quality in women (December 15, 2010) -- A small-scale study has identified the first evidence in humans that exposure to bisphenol A may compromise the quality of a woman's eggs retrieved for in vitro fertilization. ... > full story
Earthshaking possibilities may limit underground storage of carbon dioxide (December 15, 2010) -- Combating global warming by pumping carbon dioxide into the ground for long-term storage -- known as carbon sequestration -- could trigger small earthquakes that might breach the storage system, allowing the gas back into the atmosphere, according to a geophysicist. That hazard, combined with a need for thousands of injection sites around the globe, may keep sequestration from being feasible on a large scale. ... > full story
Champion hydrogen-producing microbe (December 15, 2010) -- The cyanobacteria are famous for releasing the oxygen that made the Earth a hospitable planet but some strains also have a hidden talent for producing hydrogen gas, a potential biofuel. With the help of a few metabolic tricks, a lab has coaxed one such strain to produce champion levels of the gas. ... > full story
Asthma? Allergens could be growing in your lungs (December 15, 2010) -- Scientists investigating the allergic reactions that asthmatics suffer towards a common mold have discovered that many people with asthma actually had the mold growing in their own lungs. ... > full story
Human networking theory gives picture of infectious disease spread (December 15, 2010) -- New research using human-networking theory may give a clearer picture of just how, exactly, infectious diseases such as the common cold, influenza, whooping cough and SARS can spread through a closed group of people, and even through populations at large. ... > full story
Satellites pinpoint drivers of urban heat islands in northeastern U.S. (December 15, 2010) -- The size, background ecology, and development patterns of major northeastern cities combine to make them unusually warm, according to NASA scientists. Summer land surface temperatures of cities in the Northeast were an average of 13°F to 16°F (7°C to 9°C) warmer than surrounding rural areas over a three year period, the new research shows. The complex phenomenon that drives up temperatures of cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. is called the urban heat island effect. ... > full story
US EPA removes saccharin from hazardous substances listing (December 15, 2010) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has removed saccharin, a common artificial sweetener, and its salts from the agency's list of hazardous substances. Saccharin is no longer considered a potential hazard to human health. ... > full story
Satellite data provide a new way to monitor groundwater in agricultural regions (December 15, 2010) -- Much of the agriculture in the American West depends on underground water systems that need to be carefully monitored to avoid overuse. Traditional data about aquifers are sparse and expensive to obtain. Until now, crops growing above the aquifer prevented satellite-based radar from "seeing" under the surface. But researchers have found a way around the plant problem. ... > full story
Power and corruption may be good for society (December 15, 2010) -- An evolutionary biology professor found that power and corruption may play a role in maintaining overall societal cooperation. ... > full story
Tubeworms colony discovered off Cyprus (December 15, 2010) -- When a field of tubeworms was unexpectedly discovered on the side of a large underwater mountain 50 miles off the coast of Cyprus this summer, the finding was notable both for the discovery itself and for the process of the discovery. ... > full story
Sweet and biodegradable: Sugar and cornstarch make environmentally safer plastics (December 14, 2010) -- A new lactide-based variety of catalysts, which initiate or sustain reactions in chemical processes, is improving the production of "green" plastics, making them stronger and more heat-resistant. This research has applications in a variety of manufacturing fields, from car parts to plastic cups -- and is a significant step in the "greening" of the plastics and chemical industries. ... > full story
Geologist's discoveries resolve debate about oxygen in Earth's mantle (December 14, 2010) -- While there continues to be considerable debate among geologists about the availability of oxygen in the Earth's mantle, recent discoveries are bringing resolution to the question. Analysis of erupted rock from Agrigan volcano in the western Pacific near Guam found it to be highly oxidized as a result of its exposure to oxygen when it formed in the Earth's mantle. ... > full story
Biological computers: Genetically modified cells communicate like electronic circuits (December 14, 2010) -- Genetically modified cells can be made to communicate with each other as if they were electronic circuits. Using yeast cells, a group of researchers has taken a groundbreaking step towards being able to build complex systems in the future where the body's own cells help to keep us healthy. ... > full story
Transcription factor clears protein clumps in Huntington's mice models (December 14, 2010) -- Over expressing a transcription factor that promotes increase in number of mitochondria greatly improves neurological function of transgenic mice models for Huntington's disease. ... > full story
What 'pine' cones reveal about the evolution of flowers (December 14, 2010) -- From southern Africa's pineapple lily to Western Australia's swamp bottlebrush, flowering plants are everywhere. Also called angiosperms, they make up 90 percent of all land-based, plant life. New research provides new insights into their genetic origin, an evolutionary innovation that quickly gave rise to many diverse flowering plants more than 130 million years ago. Moreover, a flower with genetic programming similar to a water lily may have started it all. ... > full story
Hot stuff: Magma at shallow depth under Hawaii (December 14, 2010) -- Researchers have found a new way to gauge the depth of the magma chamber that forms the Hawaiian Island volcanic chain, and determined that the magma lies much closer to the surface than previously thought. The finding could help scientists predict when Hawaiian volcanoes are going to erupt. It also suggests that Hawaii holds great potential for thermal energy. ... > full story
Potential chink in armor of African sleeping sickness parasite: It's social (December 14, 2010) -- Long considered a freewheeling loner, the Trypanosoma brucei parasite responsible for African sleeping sickness has revealed a totally unexpected social side, opening a potential chink in the behavioral armor of this and other supposedly solitary human parasites. ... > full story
Continued death of forests predicted in southwestern US due to climate change (December 14, 2010) -- If current climate projections hold true, the forests of the Southwestern United States face a bleak future, with more severe ---- and more frequent ---- forest fires, higher tree death rates, more insect infestation, and weaker trees. ... > full story
Parasite and bacterium illustrate convergent evolution: Both hijack cells' 'post office' (December 14, 2010) -- Protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and pathogenic bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis exemplify convergent evolution, development of similar biological trait in unrelated lineages, according to new research. ... > full story
Cells 'feel' the difference between stiff or soft and thick or thin matrix (December 14, 2010) -- Cultured mesenchymal stem cells can "feel" at least several microns below surface of artificial microfilm matrix, gauging elasticity of extracellular bedding, a crucial variable in determining their fate. ... > full story
Early settlers rapidly transformed New Zealand forests with fire (December 14, 2010) -- New research indicates that the speed of early forest clearance following human colonization of the South Island of New Zealand was much faster and more intense than previously thought. ... > full story
Blooming jellyfish in northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean: Over-fishing, warming waters to blame (December 14, 2010) -- A study examining over 50 years of jellyfish data confirmed an increase in the size and intensity of proliferations of the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca. There are several complex reasons for this -- over-fishing and the current increase in sea water temperatures. ... > full story
'Array of arrays' coaxing secrets from unfelt seismic tremor events (December 14, 2010) -- New technology is letting researchers get a much better picture of how episodic tremor events relate to potentially catastrophic earthquakes every 300 to 500 years in the Cascadia subduction zone. ... > full story
Tracing microbes between individuals towards personalized oral health care (December 14, 2010) -- The human body harbors a complex ecosystem of microbes recognized as having a role in health and disease. Viruses can attack bacterial communities, yet little is known about how this might influence human health. Scientists have now performed the first metagenomic analysis of a bacterial immune system in humans over time, finding that defenses of the oral microbiome are unique and traceable, information that could personalize oral health care in the future. ... > full story
Southeastern U.S., with exception of Florida, likey to have serious water scarcity issues (December 14, 2010) -- Water scarcity in the western U.S. has long been an issue of concern. Now researchers studying freshwater sustainability in the U.S. have found that the Southeast, with the exception of Florida, does not have enough water capacity to meet its own needs. ... > full story
Hot with decades of drought: Expectations for southwestern United States (December 14, 2010) -- A 60-year drought like that of the 12th Century could be in our future. An unprecedented combination of heat plus decades of drought could be in store for the Southwest sometime this century, suggests new research. By figuring out when and for how long drought and warm temperatures coincided in the past, the team identified plausible worst-case scenarios for the future. Such scenarios can help water and other resource managers plan for the future, the team wrote. ... > full story
More details of plant cell-wall construction revealed (December 14, 2010) -- Scientists are unraveling details of how plant cells' structural supports - their cell walls -- are made, with the hope of finding ways to change their composition for more efficient biofuel production. ... > full story
Bioengineers discover how particles self-assemble in flowing fluids (December 14, 2010) -- Bioengineers have been exploring a unique phenomenon whereby randomly dispersed microparticles will self-assemble into a highly organized structure during flow through micro-scale channels. ... > full story
Tracking down particulates (December 14, 2010) -- Wood-burning stoves are enjoying a surge in popularity. But burning biomass releases fine dust particles that are hazardous to health. Consequently, new legal limits for particulate emissions from such stoves were introduced in some areas last March. Researchers have now developed a measuring device that determines precise levels of dust emissions. ... > full story
Oldest fossils found in Cordillera Bética mountain range (December 14, 2010) -- Researchers have found fossils of Ordovician conodonts dating to between 446 and 444 million years ago for the first time in the western Mediterranean. The discovery of these very primitive marine vertebrates has helped scientists to reconstruct the palaeogeography of the Cordillera Bética mountain range. Their study shows that the mountain system in the south of the Iberian Peninsula was located alongside the Alps at that time. ... > full story
Bering Sea was ice-free and full of life during last warm period, study finds (December 13, 2010) -- Deep sediment cores retrieved from the Bering Sea floor indicate that the region was ice-free all year and biological productivity was high during the last major warm period in Earth's climate history. ... > full story
When it comes to selecting a mate, the eyes have it (December 13, 2010) -- For the first time ever, scientists have found a difference in the way males and females of the same species of vertebrate see things -- and that sexes likely use that difference to select their mates. The research team also discovered that the fish have five different photoreceptor cones in their eyes, the most ever found in a vertebrate. ... > full story
Right or left handling at birth: What impact does it have on development? (December 13, 2010) -- Certain events experienced at the moment of birth have consequences on the emotional reactions of animals at an adult age. Researchers have tested the effects of unilateral tactile stimulation on newborn foals. Their results show that animals handled on their right side at birth avoid contact with humans more often than those stimulated on their left side or not at all. This work raises questions on the organization of neonatal care in animals and humans. ... > full story
Large uncertainty in carbon footprint calculating (December 13, 2010) -- The calculation of carbon footprints for products if often riddled with large uncertainties, particularly related to electronic goods. ... > full story
Children who don’t like fruit and vegetables are 13 times more likely to be constipated (December 13, 2010) -- Primary school children who don’t like eating fruit and vegetables are 13 times more likely to develop functional constipation than children who do. Drinking less than 400ml of fluid a day also significantly increases the risk. ... > full story
More fruits and vegetables unlikely to protect against cancer, study suggests (December 13, 2010) -- There is no convincing evidence that eating more fruit and vegetables can reduce chances of developing cancer, although they are important for maintaining a healthy diet, according to a new study that looked at a decade of research in this area. ... > full story
Assessing the seismic hazard of the central eastern United States (December 13, 2010) -- As the US policymakers renew emphasis on the use of nuclear energy in their efforts to reduce the country's oil dependence, other factors come into play. One concern of paramount importance is the seismic hazard at the site where nuclear reactors are located. ... > full story
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