ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Monday, December 20, 2010
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Three billion-year-old genomic fossils deciphered (December 20, 2010) -- Scientists traced thousands of genes from modern genomes back to those genes' first appearance on Earth to create a genomic fossil telling when genes came into being and which ancient microbes possessed them. They found that the collective genome underwent an expansion between 3.3 and 2.8 billion years ago, during which time 27 percent of all presently existing gene families came into being. Many are oxygen related, an early indicator of the Great Oxidation Event. ... > full story
Efficient phosphorus use by phytoplankton (December 20, 2010) -- Rapid turnover and remodelling of lipid membranes could help phytoplankton cope with nutrient scarcity in the open ocean. ... > full story
Pathogenic attacks on host plants examined (December 20, 2010) -- Researchers focusing on rice genetics are providing a better understanding of how pathogens take over a plant's nutrients. Their research provides insight into ways of reducing crop losses or developing new avenues for medicinal research. ... > full story
Overindulgence is not the green option (December 20, 2010) -- At this time of year, indulgence is the buzzword. Luxury goods to buy, roaring fires to relax by, jetting off to sunnier climes, visiting distant friends and family. But, how does this festive spirit align with environmental obligations and our attitudes to going green? Researchers in Norway suggest we are deluding ourselves that overindulgence is the environmentally friendly option. ... > full story
First measurement of magnetic field in Earth's core (December 19, 2010) -- Measurements of the magnetic field at the earth's surface can tell only so much about the dynamo producing it in the planet's core. Geophysicists have now used precise astronomical position data to calculate tidal damping in the core and determine for the first time the magnetic field in the center of the planet. The magnetic field strength is 25 Gauss, or 50 times stronger than the magnetic field at the surface that makes compass needles align north-south. ... > full story
Construction of the world's largest neutrino observatory completed: Antarctica's IceCube (December 19, 2010) -- Culminating a decade of planning, innovation and testing, construction of the world's largest neutrino observatory, installed in the ice of the Antarctic plateau at the geographic South Pole, was successfully completed Dec. 18, 2010, New Zealand time. The last of 86 holes had been drilled and a total of 5,160 optical sensors are now installed to form the main detector -- a cubic kilometer of instrumented ice -- of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. From its vantage point at the end of the world, IceCube provides an innovative means to investigate the properties of fundamental particles that originate in some of the most spectacular phenomena in the universe. ... > full story
How plants counteract against the shade of larger neighbours (December 19, 2010) -- Plants that "lose the battle" during competitiveness for light because they are shaded by larger neighbours, counteract. They adapt by rapid shoot elongation and stretch their leaves towards the sun. The molecular basis of this so-called shade avoidance syndrome had been unclarified to date. Research scientists from the Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the Ruhr University in Bochum have now been able to unravel a regulation pathway. A specific transport protein (PIN3) enables the accumulation of the plant hormone auxin, which plays an important role during this adaptation process, in the outer cell layers of the plants, thus enhancing the growth process. The international group of researchers, which includes the plant hormone specialist Prof. Stephan Pollmann from the RUB, has published its observations in the current edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science PNAS. ... > full story
Rise in oxygen drove evolution of animal life 550 million years ago (December 18, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered a clue that may help to explain why the earliest evidence of complex multicellular animal life appears around 550 million years ago, when atmospheric oxygen levels on the planet rose sharply from 3 percent to their modern day level of 21 percent. ... > full story
Wind turbines help crops by channelling beneficial breezes over nearby plants (December 18, 2010) -- Researchers have found that wind turbines benefit nearby crops, keeping them cooler and drier and boosting the uptake of carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Using digitized books as 'cultural genome,' researchers unveil quantitative approach to humanities (December 18, 2010) -- Researchers have created a powerful new approach to scholarship, using approximately 4 percent of all books ever published as a digital "fossil record" of human culture. By tracking the frequency with which words appear in books over time, scholars can now precisely quantify a wide variety of cultural and historical trends. ... > full story
Prions mutate and adapt to host environment (December 18, 2010) -- Scientists have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease," have the ability to adapt to survive in a new host environment. ... > full story
As earthquakes take their toll, engineers look at enhancing building designs (December 18, 2010) -- A next generation of design criteria for buildings located in geographic regions where earthquakes are known to occur, either rarely or frequently, is under development. ... > full story
Researchers develop mouse model to help find how a gene mutation leads to autism (December 18, 2010) -- Researchers have found that when one copy of the SHANK3 gene in mice is missing, nerve cells do not effectively communicate and do not show cellular properties associated with normal learning. This discovery may explain how mutations affecting SHANK3 may lead to autism spectrum disorders. ... > full story
Circadian rhythm: Clock-controlled genes discovered in C. elegans (December 18, 2010) -- It's just a worm, a tiny soil-dwelling nematode worm -- but the implications are big for biomedicine and circadian biology as shown in a recent study. Researchers have now discovered clock-controlled genes in C. elegans. ... > full story
Small islands in the Pacific: Duel between freshwater and sea water (December 17, 2010) -- It is said that the first refugees of climate change will come from the Pacific. In the midst of this ocean’s tropical regions are scattered 50,000 small islands, 8,000 of them inhabited. They are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. These effects include rising sea-water levels, drought and diminishing stocks of freshwater. ... > full story
More than 100 new species described by California Academy of Sciences in 2010 (December 17, 2010) -- In an effort to address the critical need for data about the diversity of life on Earth, scientists from the California Academy of Sciences have spent the past year exploring some of the planet's most diverse habitats, searching for new species and creating comprehensive biodiversity maps. In 2010, they have added 113 new relatives to our family tree: 83 arthropods, 20 fishes, four corals, two sea slugs, two plants, one reptile, and one fossil mammal. ... > full story
Beetroot juice could help people live more active lives (December 17, 2010) -- New research into the health benefits of beetroot juice suggests it's not only athletes who can benefit from its performance enhancing properties -- its physiological effects could help the elderly or people with heart or lung-conditions enjoy more active lives. ... > full story
An answer to green energy could be in the air (December 17, 2010) -- In Mark Moore's world, long nanotubes reach into the clouds, serving at once to tether a turbine-vehicle flying at 2,000 feet, or 10,000 feet, or 30,000 feet (610, 3,050 and 9,150 meters); and also to conduct the power that vehicle can harvest from the wind back to Earth. Aloft might be a funnel-shaped blimp with a turbine at its back; or a balloon with vanes that rotate; a truss-braced wing; a parachute; a kite. Any and all of them are ideas being considered by nascent renewable energy industry that is flexing its imagination. ... > full story
Proximity to freeway associated with autism (December 17, 2010) -- Living near a freeway may be associated with increased risk of autism, according to a new study. The study examined the locations where the children's families' lived during the first, second and third trimesters of their mothers' pregnancies, and at the time of the baby's birth and looked at the proximity of these homes to a major road or freeway. ... > full story
Molecular fossil: Crystal structure shows how RNA, one of biology's oldest catalysts, is made (December 17, 2010) -- In today's world of sophisticated organisms proteins are the stars. But long, long ago ribonucleic acid (RNA) reigned supreme. Now researchers have produced an atomic picture that shows how two of these very old molecules interact with each other. The scientists are the first to show the atomic details of how ribonuclease P recognizes, binds and cleaves transfer RNA. ... > full story
Tiny 3-D images shed light on origin of Earth's core (December 17, 2010) -- A new method of capturing detailed, three-dimensional images of minute samples of material under extreme pressures is shedding light how Earth's interior evolved. Early results suggest that the early Earth did not have to be entirely molten to separate into the rocky crust and iron-rich core it has today. ... > full story
High-tech software, umanned planes allow scientists to keep tabs on Arctic seals (December 17, 2010) -- A novel project using cameras mounted on unmanned aircraft flying over the Arctic is serving double duty by assessing the characteristics of declining sea ice and using the same aerial photos to pinpoint seals that have hauled up on ice floes. ... > full story
Why humans are more sensitive to certain viruses: Primate immune system differences identified (December 17, 2010) -- The greater susceptibility of humans to certain infectious diseases when compared to other primates could be explained by species-specific changes in immune signaling pathways, a new study finds. The first genome-wide, functional comparison of genes regulated by the innate immune system in three primate species discovers potential mediators of differences in disease susceptibility among primates. ... > full story
Snail fever: Scientists pinpoint key defense against parasite infection (December 17, 2010) -- Scientists have made a significant discovery about how the body defends itself against snail fever, a parasitic worm infection common in developing countries. ... > full story
How pollinators sculpt flowers (December 17, 2010) -- For the past 10 years, researchers in Spain have used complex geometric analysis to study how insect pollinators influence the evolution of flower shape. ... > full story
Faster method of engineering zinc-finger nucleases developed (December 17, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a faster way to engineer synthetic enzymes that target specific DNA sequences for inactivation, repair or alteration. The method is a highly effective but less labor-intensive way to generate powerful tools called zinc-finger nucleases. ... > full story
Organ size is determined by p53 protein (December 16, 2010) -- In studies conducted on the fruit fly, researchers have revealed that organs have the molecular mechanisms to control their proportions. In this process the protein p53 plays a crucial role. ... > full story
How foot-and-mouth disease virus begins infection in cattle (December 16, 2010) -- Scientists have identified the primary site where the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease begins infection in cattle. ... > full story
Age doesn't matter: New genes are as essential as ancient ones (December 16, 2010) -- New genes that have evolved in species as little as one million years ago -- a virtual blink in evolutionary history -- can be just as essential for life as ancient genes, startling new research has discovered. The study challenges evolutionary biology assumptions about the importance of new genes in development. ... > full story
Staph bacteria: Blood-sucking superbug prefers taste of humans (December 16, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that "staph" bacteria prefer to bind to human hemoglobin -- the oxygen-carrying protein that contains iron -- over hemoglobin from other animals. The findings help explain why staph preferentially infects people and suggest that genetic variations in hemoglobin may make some individuals more susceptible to staph infections. ... > full story
Unique orangutan reintroduction project under imminent threat (December 16, 2010) -- One of Sumatra's most biodiverse rainforests is under imminent threat from the pulp and paper industry, jeopardizing the only successful project that releases rescued Sumatran orangutans back to the wild. ... > full story
Restoration activities speed seagrass recovery in the Florida Keys (December 16, 2010) -- Results of a five-year monitoring effort to repair seagrass damaged in a boat grounding incident suggest that restoration techniques such as replanting seagrass can speed recovery time. ... > full story
Loss of Arctic ice may promote hybrid marine mammals (December 16, 2010) -- Scientists have expected for some time that the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free in summer by the end of this century. Researchers now say the seasonal loss of this ice sheet, a continent-sized natural barrier between species such as bears, whales and seals, could mean extinction of some rare marine mammals and the loss of many adaptive gene combinations. ... > full story
Garlic could protect against hip osteoarthritis (December 16, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that women who consume a diet high in allium vegetables, such as garlic, onions and leeks, have lower levels of hip osteoarthritis. ... > full story
Geologist develops improved seismic model for monitoring nuclear explosions in Middle East (December 16, 2010) -- Geologists have taken an important step toward helping the United States government monitor nuclear explosions by improving a 3-dimensional model to make it more accurate at detecting the location, source and depth of seismic activity. ... > full story
New discoveries make it harder for HIV to hide from drugs (December 16, 2010) -- Microbiologists and biochemists reveal new findings that shed light on how HIV eludes treatment by mutating. His discoveries provide clues into HIV's mechanisms for resisting two main families of drugs. ... > full story
Rapid diagnostic test for common type of pneumonia developed (December 16, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a technique that can diagnose a common type of pneumonia within minutes, potentially replacing existing tests that can take several days for results. The researchers detected Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which causes atypical or "walking pneumonia," in true clinical samples with over 97 percent accuracy using a recently-developed nanotechnology-based platform. ... > full story
Earthworms absorb discarded copper nanomaterials present in soil (December 16, 2010) -- The manufacturing of nanomaterials has been steadily on the rise in the medical, industrial, and scientific fields. New research has determined that earthworms could absorb copper nanoparticles present in soil. ... > full story
Ancient forest emerges mummified from the Arctic: Clues to future warming impact (December 16, 2010) -- The northernmost mummified forest ever found in Canada is revealing how plants struggled to endure a long-ago global cooling. Researchers believe the trees -- buried by a landslide and exquisitely preserved 2 to 8 million years ago -- will help them predict how today's Arctic will respond to global warming. ... > full story
Seaweed as biofuel? Metabolic engineering makes it a viable option (December 16, 2010) -- Is red seaweed a viable future biofuel? Now that a metabolic engineer has developed a strain of yeast that can make short work of fermenting galactose, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Researchers have recently identified three genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the microbe most often used to ferment the sugars, whose overexpression increased galactose fermentation by 250 percent when compared to a control strain. ... > full story
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
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