ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for the Week of February 6 to February 13, 2011

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Posted 2011-02-12:

• Mystery of how fleas jump resolved after 44 years
• 3-D digital dinosaur track download: A roadmap for saving at-risk natural history resources
• Firefly glow: Scientists develop a hydrogen peroxide probe based on firefly luciferin
• Scientists hope to cut years off development time of new antibiotics

Posted 2011-02-12:

• New way to attack pathogens: RNA recycling system gone awry brings MRSA to a halt
• Livestock boom risks aggravating animal 'plagues,' poses threat to food security and world's poor
• Quest for extinct giant rats leads scientists to ancient face carvings
• Identifying large hurricanes through seismology
• New view of human evolution? 3.2 million-year-old fossil foot bone supports humanlike bipedalism in Lucy's species
• New hybrid drug, derived from common spice, may protect, rebuild brain cells after stroke
• LED products billed as eco-friendly contain toxic metals, study finds
• Virus, parasite may combine to increase harm to humans
• Biologists unlock chemical clues to courtship in swordtail fish urine
• Newly discovered squid pheromone sparks extreme aggression on contact
• Circulating blood antibodies are not required for HIV protection, study suggests
• Pollution controls used during China Olympics could save lives if continued, study concludes
• Vietnam’s biodiversity has deep roots in Earth’s past
• New method for reporting solar data

Posted 2011-02-11:

• Los Angeles Basin long overdue for major earthquake: Lake-effect theory sinks, but quake timing questions go on
• Success of male bustards is measured by their 'beards'
• Plant's immune defense revs up for the morning attack
• Weather extremes are growing trend in Northern Australia, corals show
• Newly discovered deep sea lobster
• Simple marine worms distantly related to humans
• Rowdy residents warn crustaceans away from perilous reefs
• Diet soda may raise odds of vascular events; Salt linked to stroke risk
• Race against time to find Apollo 14's lost voyagers: 'Moon trees'
• Chocolate is a 'super fruit': Rich source of antioxidants
• New method takes snapshots of proteins as they fold
• Single-cell marine predator's unique survival mechanisms revealed
• Understanding patterns of seafloor biomass
• Taurus XL ready to launch Glory spacecraft
• New solar cell self-repairs like natural plant systems
• Invasive comb jellyfish pose no direct threat to Baltic cod eggs and larvae, Danish study finds
• Foot bone suggests Lucy's kin had arched foot, for walking

Posted 2011-02-10:

• Soil science: Healing our planet's ills from the ground up
• Microsponges from seaweed may save lives
• Stockpiled avian flu vaccine could protect against potential pandemic
• Western Australia's incredible underground orchid
• A green way to cap an old landfill
• Primates' unique gene regulation mechanism: Little-understood DNA elements serve important purpose
• Greener process for key ingredient for everything from paint to diapers
• Ancient teeth raise new questions about origins of modern humans
• Telomere length as an indicator of life expectancy for the southern giant petrel
• Dramatic improvement in Parkinson disease symptoms following intranasal delivery of stem cells to rat brains
• Next large central US earthquake may not be along New Madrid fault lines
• Recognizing gibbons from their regional accents
• New explanation for heart-healthy benefits of chocolate
• Border patrol: Immune cells protect body from invaders
• Jatropha: Green biodiesel from African tree
• Earth warming unevenly: Tropical Atlantic sees weaker trade winds and more rainfall
• Using mining by-products to reduce algal blooms
• Challenges for biofuels: New life cycle assessment report
• Biogeochemistry at core of global environmental solutions: Coupled-cycles framework key to balancing human needs with Earth's health

Posted 2011-02-09:

• Turning bacteria against themselves
• Why leatherback turtles linger in South Pacific Gyre, and why it matters
• Detecting pathogens in waterways: An improved approach
• Tool makes search for Martian life easier: Red Planet a good fit for laser-ion funnel mass spectrometry
• Figuring out fetal alcohol syndrome in fruit flies
• Home and away: How do invasive plant species dominate native species?
• Polar bear births could plummet with climate change
• Processed food diet in early childhood may lower subsequent IQ
• Secrets of dinosaur footprints revealed, thanks to 'Goldilocks'
• Conceptualizing cancer cells as ancient 'toolkit'
• Change of heart keeps bears healthy while hibernating
• Urine-sniffing dogs: Early detection of prostate cancer
• Unexpected exoskeleton remnants found in Paleozoic fossils
• Evolution led to genetic variation that may affect diabetes, scientist says
• Giant whitefly: Presence of insect pest discovered in Indonesia
• Air-conditioned greenhouse uses alternative energy
• Play was important -- even 4,000 years ago
• Researchers turn Salmonella into antiviral gene therapy agent
• Indoor coal use associated with possible impairment of early childhood growth

Posted 2011-02-08:

• The brain knows what the nose smells, but how?
• New findings in India's Bt cotton controversy: Good for the field, bad for the farm?
• X-rays reveal hidden leg of an ancient snake: New hints on how snakes were getting legless
• When worms stick together and swim on thin water, what happens and why does it matter?
• Can breastfeeding transmit yellow fever after maternal vaccination?
• DNA engine observed in real-time traveling along base pair track
• Clay-armored bubbles may have formed first protocells: Minerals could have played a key role in the origins of life
• Roaches inspire robotics: Researchers use common cockroach to fine-tune robots of the future
• Normal air could halve fuel consumption
• Pollutants in aquifers may threaten future of Mexico's fast-growing 'Riviera Maya'
• First ever STEREO images of the entire sun
• Different evolutionary paths lead plants and animals to the same crossroads
• 3-D map of fly brain is to neuroscience what genome is to genetics
• Arctic fisheries' catches 75 times higher than previous reports
• Genetic study uncovers new path to Polynesia
• Better turbine spacing for large wind farms
• Jumping genes caught in the act: New evidence that the genome contains many mobile elements

Posted 2011-02-07:

• Secret life of bees now a little less secret
• Air pollutants from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves raise health concerns
• Heads or tails: Cells' electricity decides what to regenerate
• Rare meteorites reveal Mars collision caused water flow
• Geographer recreates ‘The Great Louisiana Hurricane of 1812’

Posted 2011-02-06:

• Discovery of jumping gene cluster tangles tree of life
• How the body’s frontline defense mechanism determines if a substance is a microbe
• Death in the bat caves: Disease wiping out hibernating bats
• Blenny bonanza: Seven new species of fish revealed by genetic analysis
• New twist on the electron beam
• Gas stations pollute their immediate surroundings, Spanish study finds

Posted 2011-02-05:

• Cross-species strategy might be a powerful tool for studying human disease
• Part of New Zealand's submerged 'Pink Terraces' found
• Boosting body's immune response may hold key to HIV cure
• Oil in Gulf of Mexico: Biologists cite need for critical data to determine ecological consequences
• Want more efficient muscles? Eat your spinach
• Oysters at risk: Gastronomes' delight disappearing globally
• Helping feed the world without polluting its waters
• Ants have big impact on environment as 'ecosystem engineers'
• Deadly tool discovered in Salmonella's bag of tricks
• Powerful new methodology for stabilizing proteins developed
• Microbiologists aim to optimize bio-ethanol production
• The 'death switch' in sepsis also promotes survival
• Underwater ridges impact ocean's flow of warm water; Findings to improve climate models
• Rare insect fossil reveals 100 million years of evolutionary stasis

Posted 2011-02-04:

• Communication pathways within proteins may yield new drug targets to stop superbugs
• Wolverine population threatened by climate change
• Two severe Amazon droughts in five years alarms scientists
• Coffee, energy drinkers beware: Many mega-sized drinks loaded with sugar, nutrition expert says
• Water flea: First crustacean genome is sequenced
• Lampreys give clues to evolution of immune system
• New drought record from long-lived Mexican trees may illuminate fates of past civilizations
• 'Red mud' disaster's main threat to crops is not toxic metals, but instead high alkalinity
• Roasting coffee beans a dark brown produces valued antioxidants, scientists find
• First new C. difficile drug in a generation superior to existing treatments
• Giant virus, tiny protein crystals show X-ray laser's power and potential
• Sea urchin embryos could be used to evaluate quality of marine environment, researcher proposes
• Sentinel of change: Waterflea genome to improve environmental monitoring capabilities
• Animal with the most genes? A tiny crustacean
• Current use of biodiesel no more harmful than regular diesel, Norwegian study finds
• Primitive vertebrates with an adaptive immune system

Posted 2011-02-03:

• Ice cores yield rich history of climate change
• NASA Aqua Satellite sees powerful Cyclone Yasi make landfall in Queensland, Australia
• Road may disrupt migration, ruin Serengeti, study finds
• In tiny fruit flies, researchers identify metabolic 'switch' that links normal growth to cancer
• Anthropologists discover earliest cemetery in Middle East
• Ritalin may ease early iron deficiency damage
• Rain in Spain is on the decline, research finds
• 'Air laser' may sniff bombs, pollutants from a distance
• NASA satellite captures U.S. 'Big Chill'
• Arctic mercury mystery: Meterological conditions in the spring and summer to blame?
• Monster cyclone Yasi eyes Australia in NASA image
• Do chimpanzees mourn their dead infants?
• Earth's life support systems discussed in an open-access special issue

Posted 2011-02-02:

• NASA satellite tracks menacing Australian cyclone
• Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in children and insecticide-treated bednets reduce prevalence of infection by up to 85 percent
• Technology protects cotton from caterpillar's appetite
• Bacteria in the gut may influence brain development
• Biologists discover 'control center' for sperm production; Study uncovers genetic hierarchy in plant sperm formation
• NASA satellites capture data on monster winter storm affecting 30 U.S. states
• Seeking social genes: Researchers compare insect genomes to hone in on genes associated with complex social structure
• Where has all the Gulf spill oil gone?
• Cluster encounters 'natural particle accelerator' above Earth's atmosphere: How northern and southern lights are generated
• Clean streets and intact road surfaces help to keep the air clean
• Newly discovered dinosaur likely father of Triceratops
• New probiotic combats inflammatory bowel disease
• Dogs can accurately sniff out early stage bowel cancer
• Argentine ant genome sheds light on a successful pest
• Bugs might convert biodiesel waste into new fuel
• Explosive- and drug-sniffing dog performance is affected by their handlers' beliefs
• Low-energy remediation with patented microbes: Naturally occurring microbes break down chlorinated solvents
• Go green to give a boost to employee morale
• New quartet of ant genomes sequenced

Posted 2011-02-01:

• New appreciation of the ecology-evolution dynamic
• Secrets in stone: Rare archaeological find in Norway
• Plants can adapt genetically to survive harsh environments
• New African wolf discovered
• Plankton inspires creation of stealth armor for slow-release microscopic drug vehicles
• Young rats given polyphenols show less endothelial function deterioration with aging
• Surf's up: New research provides precise way to monitor ocean wave behavior, shore impacts
• Mussel power: Universal solvent no match for new self-healing sticky gel
• War, plague no match for deforestation in driving CO₂ buildup
• Shape-shifting sugars pinned down
• Antibiotic offers potential for anti-cancer activity
• Nerve cell molecule has antidepressant effect; animal study may lead to more effective treatments for depression
• Sprouts? Supplements? Team them up to boost broccoli's cancer-fighting power
• Stem cell marker regulates synapse formation
• 'Old' information theory makes it easier to predict flooding
• Newly decoded ant genomes provide clues on ant social life, pest control
• Food industry partnerships may carry risks, experts argue

Posted 2011-01-31:

• A clearer picture of how rivers and deltas develop
• Gene 'relocation' key to most evolutionary change in bacteria
• Regenerative medicine advance: New 'cocktails' support long-term maintenance of human embryonic stem cells
• Wheat resistance genes failing, new approach needed to stop flies

Posted 2011-01-30:

• Cocaine production increases destruction of Colombia’s rainforests
• DNA caught rock 'n rollin': On rare occasions DNA dances itself into a different shape
• More frequent drought likely in eastern Africa
• Draft 'genetic road map' of biofuels crop

Posted 2011-01-29:

• Air above Dead Sea contains very high levels of oxidized mercury
• Cow rumen enzymes for better biofuels
• Exposure to worm infection in the womb may protect against eczema, study suggests
• Understanding the human neurosystem by researching locust brains
• Rivers cut deep notches in the Alps' broad glacial valleys
• Dinosaurs survived mass extinction by 700,000 years, fossil find suggests
• Insects that deter predators produce fewer offspring
• High school biology teachers in U.S. reluctant to endorse evolution in class, study finds
• A mix of tiny gold and viral particles, and the DNA ties that bind them
• How bacteria keep ahead of vaccines and antibiotics
• Weighing the costs of disaster
• Warming North Atlantic water tied to heating Arctic
• Production of plant pollen is regulated by several signalling pathways

Posted 2011-01-28:

• Brain 'GPS' illuminated in migratory monarch butterflies
• Climatic fluctuations in last 2,500 years linked to social upheavals
• Origins of the pandemic: Lessons of H1N1
• Mass extinction linked to ancient climate change, new details reveal
• NSAID receptor responsible for olive oil's 'cough' and more
• Modern humans reached Arabia earlier than thought, new artifacts suggest
• Fluorescent color of coral larvae predicts whether they'll settle or swim; Finding could help scientists monitor how corals adapt to global warming
• New lab-on-chip advance uses low-cost, disposable paper strips
• Agave fuels excitement as a bioenergy crop
• Ancient body clock discovered that helps keep all living things on time
• Household bugs: A risk to human health?
• World can be powered by alternative energy, using today's technology, in 20-40 years, experts say
• Gender and hygiene: Could cleanliness be hurting girls?
• Natural growth factor enhances memory, prevents forgetting in rats
• Nervous system as a 3-D map: First complete map of special connections of nerve cells in zebrafish
• Hungry chicks have unique calls to their parents
• 'Hidden plumbing' helps slow Greenland ice flow: Hotter summers may actually slow down flow of glaciers
• Chemists turn gold to purple -- on purpose: Color change confirms a new way to harvest energy from sunlight
• How pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells
• Waterhemp rears its ugly head ... again
• Organic food in pregnancy

Posted 2011-01-27:

• No leftovers for Tyrannosaurus rex: New evidence that T. rex was hunter, not scavenger
• Food-borne bacteria causes potentially fatal heart infection
• Fishy consequences of transplanting trout, salmon, whitefishes: Some fish do not respond well to relocation
• Eating poorly can make you blue: Trans-fats increase risk of depression, while olive oil helps avoid risk
• Discovery of a biochemical basis for broccoli's cancer-fighting ability
• Genetic archaeology finds parts of human genome more closely related to orangutans than chimps
• Orangutan DNA more diverse than human's, remarkably stable through the ages
• First study of dispersants in Gulf spill suggests a prolonged deepwater fate
• 'Undead' may influence biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions
• Centuries of sailors weren't wrong: Looking at the horizon stabilizes posture
• Evolution by mistake: Major driving force comes from how organisms cope with errors at cellular level
• Mathematical model could help predict and prevent future extinctions
• New method attacks bacterial infections on contact lenses
• Genetic origin of cultivated citrus determined: Researchers find evidence of origins of orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit, other citrus species
• Mercury in Bay Area fish a legacy of California mining
• Chemists document workings of key staph enzyme -- and how to block it
• Shining new light on air pollutants using entangled porous frameworks
• Biologists' favorite worm gets viruses: Finding means C. elegans may aid studies of human infections
• 'Green' chemistry extraction method developed for hot capsicum fruit
• Alternative energy use at forward operating bases can save dollars, lives, say US military researchers
• Genome analysis outlines variations in orangutans of Borneo, Sumatra

Posted 2011-01-26:

• Human-made DNA sequences made easy: New method for rapidly producing protein-polymers
• Time machine for climate scientists: Earth's extreme weather events since 1871 reanalyzed
• 'Breast on a chip': Researchers create 'engineered organ' model for breast cancer research
• Caffeine energizes cells, boosting virus production for gene therapy applications
• Debris on certain Himalayan glaciers may prevent melting
• Dynamic systems in living cells break the rules
• People aren't born afraid of spiders and snakes: Fear is quickly learned during infancy
• Asian tiger numbers could triple if large-scale landscapes are protected
• New dishware sanitizers prove more effective at killing harmful bacteria
• Mathematicians use cell 'profiling' to detect abnormalities -- including cancer
• Rogue storm system caused Pakistan floods that left millions homeless
• Rising indoor winter temperatures linked to obesity?
• Rhythmic vibrations guide caste development in social wasps
• First single-fingered dinosaur discovered
• Research into synthetic antibodies offers hope for new diagnostics
• First-ever global map of surface permeability informs water supply, climate modelling
• World's biggest extinction event: Massive volcanic eruption, burning coal and accelerated greenhouse gas choked out life
• Mathematical model explains how complex societies emerge, collapse
• New microscopy method opens window on previously unseen cell features
• Faster early development might have its costs, study in salamanders suggests
• Monk seal and hump-backed dolphin are threatened by fishing activities off coast of Mauritania

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