ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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New Reasons To Avoid Grapefruit And Other Juices When Taking Certain Drugs (August 20, 2008) -- Scientists and consumers have known for years that grapefruit juice can increase the absorption of some drugs, causing potentially toxic effects. Now, researchers in Canada report new evidence that drinking grapefruit and other common fruit juices, including orange and apple, also can substantially decrease the absorption of some drugs, wiping out their potential beneficial effects. Their research will be presented in August at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Philadelphia. ... > full story
Discovery Of Plant Protein Holds Promise For Biofuel Production (August 20, 2008) -- Scientists have identified a new protein necessary for chloroplast development. The discovery could ultimately lead to plant varieties tailored specifically for biofuel production. ... > full story
Federally Managed Dams Need Better Security, Report Finds (August 20, 2008) -- Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates and manages dams that provide water and power to millions of people, has invested significant resources in security and is better able to protect its facilities and personnel, says a new report from the National Research Council. ... > full story
Many US Public Schools In 'Air Pollution Danger Zone' (August 20, 2008) -- One in three US public schools are in the "air pollution danger zone," according to new research. Researchers have found that more than 30 percent of American public schools are within 400 meters, or a quarter mile, of major highways that consistently serve as main truck and traffic routes. ... > full story
Chronic Lead Poisoning From Urban Soils (August 20, 2008) -- Chronic lead poisoning, caused in part by the ingestion of contaminated dirt, affects hundreds of thousands more children in the United States than the acute lead poisoning associated with imported toys or jewelry. Could treating contaminated soil with water prevent this public health scourge? ... > full story
New 52-city Report Examines Use Of Wastewater In Urban Agriculture (August 20, 2008) -- As developing countries confront the first global food crisis since the 1970s as well as unprecedented water scarcity, a new 53-city survey conducted by the International Water Management Institute indicates that most of those studied (80 percent) are using untreated or partially treated wastewater for agriculture. In over 70 percent of the cities studied, more than half of urban agricultural land is irrigated with wastewater that is either raw or diluted in streams. ... > full story
Algae: Biofuel Of The Future? (August 19, 2008) -- Researchers have a plan to greatly increase algae oil yields by feeding the algae extra carbon dioxide (the main greenhouse gas) and organic material like sewage, meaning the algae could simultaneously produce biofuel and clean up environmental problems. ... > full story
Sweets Make Young Horses Harder To Train, Study Finds (August 19, 2008) -- Young horses may be easier to train if they temporarily lay off the sweets, says a Montana State University study. ... > full story
Scientists Discover What Drives The Development Of A Fatal Form Of Malaria (August 19, 2008) -- In a study described in Cell Host and Microbe, researchers reveal that when red blood cells are infected with the malaria parasite, they activate platelets to secrete the PF4 protein, which triggers the immune system to inflame blood vessels and obstruct capillaries in the brain; both are hallmarks of cerebral malaria. ... > full story
Experts Urge Industry To Broaden Carbon Footprint Calculations (August 19, 2008) -- Carnegie Mellon University researchers are urging companies to embrace new methods for following trail of dangerous carbon emissions. ... > full story
Novel Fungus Helps Beetles To Digest Hard Wood (August 19, 2008) -- A little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods according to a team of entomologists and biochemists. Researchers say the discovery could lead to innovative methods of controlling the invasive pest, and potentially offer more efficient ways of breaking down plant biomass for generating biofuels. ... > full story
2007 Hurricane Forecasts Took Blow From Winds And Dry, Dusty Air From Sahara Desert (August 19, 2008) -- A new analysis of environmental conditions over the Atlantic Ocean shows that hot, dry air associated with dust outbreaks from the Sahara desert was a likely contributor to the quieter-than-expected 2007 hurricane season. ... > full story
DEET's Not Sweet To Mosquitoes, Groundbreaking Research Shows (August 19, 2008) -- Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? They flee because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent and not because DEET jams their sense of smell, report researchers at the University of California, Davis. ... > full story
Chemical Liberated By Leaky Gut May Allow HIV To Infect The Brain, Scientists Find (August 19, 2008) -- A chemical released by the gut in HIV-infected patients appears to help the virus evade the blood brain barrier and infect the brain, researchers show. The finding could lead to strategies for preventing HIV-associated dementia. ... > full story
Mirror Self-recognition In Magpie Birds (August 19, 2008) -- Self-recognition, it has been argued, is a hallmark of advanced cognitive abilities in animals. It was previously thought that only the usual suspects of higher cognition -- some great apes, dolphins and elephants -- were able to recognize their own bodies in a mirror. Psychologists have shown evidence of self-recognition in magpies -- a species with a brain structure very different from mammals. ... > full story
NASA Study Improves Ability To Predict Aerosols' Effect On Cloud Cover (August 19, 2008) -- Using a novel theoretical approach, researchers from NASA and other institutions have identified the common thread that determines how aerosols from human activity, like the particles from burning of vegetation and forests, influence cloud cover and ultimately affect climate. The study improves researchers' ability to predict whether aerosols will increase or decrease cloud cover. ... > full story
Vegetable Scales With A Mind Of Their Own (August 19, 2008) -- What was the number you were supposed to enter for the chili-pepper on the self-service scales? Was it 67 or 76? And the number for the bananas? The latest self-service scales automatically recognize what the customer has placed on them. ... > full story
Plastics Suspect In Lobster Illness (August 19, 2008) -- The search for what causes a debilitating shell disease affecting lobsters from Long Island Sound to Maine has led one Marine Biological Laboratory visiting scientist to suspect environmental alkyphenols, formed primarily by the breakdown of hard transparent plastics. ... > full story
Molecular Sleuths Track Evolution Through The Ribosome (August 19, 2008) -- A new study of the ribosome, the cell's protein-building machinery, sheds light on the oldest branches of the evolutionary tree of life and suggests that differences in ribosomal structure between the three main branches of that tree are "molecular fossils" of the early evolution of protein synthesis. ... > full story
Invasion Of Comb Jellyfish (August 19, 2008) -- In the waters surrounding Woods Hole, Massachusetts, the warty comb jelly, Mnemiopsis ledyi, lives out its days, bumping against eel grass and collecting small crustaceans with its sticky tentacles. The delicate creature, which resembles a small jellyfish without the stinger, is just another member of the food web here on the Western Atlantic coast. ... > full story
Towards Understanding Bluetongue Outbreaks (August 19, 2008) -- Scientists report the identification of a bluetongue virus strain that caused the northern European Bluetongue outbreak in 2006. Comparison of the virus strain with the sequences of other previously isolated strains showed that it originated in sub-Saharan Africa, rather than from vaccine strains or strains circulating in southern Europe. ... > full story
Synthetic Molecules Could Add Spice To Fight Against Cancer (August 18, 2008) -- Seeking to improve on nature, scientists used a spice-based compound as a starting point and developed synthetic molecules that, in lab settings, are able to kill cancer cells and stop the cells from spreading. The researchers are combining organic chemistry, computer-aided design and molecular biology techniques in developing and testing pharmaceutical compounds that can fight breast and prostate cancer cells. The synthetic molecules are derived from curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in the spice turmeric. ... > full story
Leishmaniasis Parasites Evade Death By Exploiting Immune Response To Sand Fly Bites (August 18, 2008) -- Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease characterized by painful skin ulcers, occurs when the parasite Leishmania major, or a related species, is transmitted to a mammalian host by the bite of an infected sand fly. In a new study, scientists have discovered L. major does its damage by not only evading but also by exploiting the body's wound-healing response to sand fly bites. ... > full story
New Robot Scouts Best Locations For Components Of Undersea Lab (August 18, 2008) -- Like a deep-sea bloodhound, Sentry -- the newest in an elite group of unmanned submersibles able to operate on their own in demanding and rugged environments -- has helped scientists pinpoint locations for two observation sites of a pioneering seafloor laboratory being planned off Washington and Oregon. Successful selection of the two sites is a crucial step in developing an extensive sensor network above and below the seafloor on the Juan de Fuca Plate. ... > full story
Toxoplasmosis Found More Severe In Brazil Compared To Europe (August 18, 2008) -- Newborns in Brazil are more susceptible to toxoplasmosis than those in Europe, according to a recent study. Researchers based in Austria, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom studied the disease's ocular effects in children from birth to four years of age. ... > full story
Extinction Most Likely For Rare Trees In Amazon Rainforest (August 18, 2008) -- Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction rates of up to 50 percent, predict scientists in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. ... > full story
Call For Better Protection Of Older People From Climate Change Impact (August 18, 2008) -- A new report calls on government and public authorities to take action to better protect older people from the future effects of climate change. ... > full story
Key Photosynthesis Step Replicated: Scientists Learn From Nature To Split Water Into Hydrogen And Oxygen (August 18, 2008) -- Chemists have used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. ... > full story
Trees, Forests And The Eiffel Tower Reveal Theory Of Design In Nature (August 18, 2008) -- What do a tree and the Eiffel Tower have in common? According to a Duke University engineer, both are optimized for flow. In the case of trees, the flow is of water from the ground throughout the trunk, branches and leaves, and into the air. The Eiffel Tower's flow carries stresses throughout the structure without collapsing under its own weight or being downed by the wind. ... > full story
Robot Vehicle Surveys Deep Sea Off Pacific Northwest (August 18, 2008) -- The first scientific mission with Sentry, a newly developed robot capable of diving as deep as 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) into the ocean, has been successfully completed. ... > full story
Newly Detected Air Pollutant Mimics Damaging Effects Of Cigarette Smoke (August 18, 2008) -- A previously unrecognized group of air pollutants could have effects remarkably similar to harmful substances found in tobacco smoke, according to a new report. Inhaling those pollutants exposes the average person up to 300 times more free radicals daily than from smoking one cigarette, the researchers added, noting that the study could help explain why nonsmokers develop tobacco-related diseases like lung cancer. ... > full story
Engineers Build Mini Drug-producing Biofactories In Yeast (August 18, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a novel way to churn out large quantities of drugs, including antiplaque toothpaste additives, antibiotics, nicotine, and even morphine, using mini biofactories -- in yeast. ... > full story
Energy Storage For Hybrid Vehicles (August 18, 2008) -- Hybrid technology combines the advantages of combustion engines and electric motors. Scientists are developing high-performance energy storage units, a prerequisite for effective hybrid motors. ... > full story
Fruit Flies Provide Insight Into Bacterial Infections In Humans (August 18, 2008) -- Researchers have used a fruit fly (Drosophila) model of infection to provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the virulence of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a major cause of infections in individuals who are hospitalized, have burn wounds, or have cystic fibrosis. ... > full story
Climate Change Threatens One In Five Plant Species In Germany (August 18, 2008) -- One in five of Germany's plant species could lose parts of its current range, a new study reveals. Species distributions will be rearranged as a result of climate change; this could have a dramatic impact particularly on the vegetation in southwestern and eastern Germany. ... > full story
Water Is No Passive Spectator Of Biological Processes: It Is An Active Participant (August 18, 2008) -- Researchers have been able to detect changes in the protein -- water network during protein folding in real time using kinetic terahertz absorption. ... > full story
Maelstrom Quashes Jumping Genes (August 18, 2008) -- Scientists have known for decades that genes called transposons can jump around the genome in a cell. This jumping can be dangerous, especially when it arises in cells that produce eggs and sperm. Although nature developed a mechanism to quash this genetic scrambling, how it works has remained a mystery. Now scientists have identified a key protein that suppresses jumping genes in mouse sperm and found that the protein is vital to sperm formation. ... > full story
High-Altitude Small Mammals Of The Great Basin Are Not Completely Isolated (August 18, 2008) -- New modeling research demonstrates that the "sky islands" of the Great Basin are not islands: the different populations of small mammals that inhabit mountain tops have contact with each other. ... > full story
'Virtual Archaeologist' Reconnects Fragments Of An Ancient Civilization (August 17, 2008) -- Computer scientists working with archaeologists in Greece has developed a new technology that has the potential to change the way people do archaeology. ... > full story
Surprising Details Of Evolution Of Protein Translation Revealed (August 17, 2008) -- A new study of transfer RNA, a molecule that delivers amino acids to the protein-building machinery of the cell, challenges long-held ideas about the evolutionary history of protein synthesis. ... > full story
Old Growth Giants Limited By Water-pulling Ability (August 17, 2008) -- The Douglas-fir, state tree of Oregon, towering king of old-growth forests and one of the tallest tree species on Earth, finally stops growing taller because it just can't pull water any higher, a new study concludes. ... > full story
Dying Frogs Sign Of A Biodiversity Crisis (August 17, 2008) -- Devastating declines of amphibian species around the world are a sign of a biodiversity disaster larger than just frogs, salamanders and their ilk, according to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. The researchers argue that substantial die-offs of amphibians and other plant and animal species add up to a new mass extinction facing the planet. ... > full story
New Mushroom Study Shows The Power Of Energy Density (August 17, 2008) -- Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-energy density foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, is a strategy for preventing or treating obesity. This is good news for the more than one-third of US adults age 20 and older who are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control. ... > full story
Potatoes May Hold Key To Alzheimer's Treatment (August 16, 2008) -- A virus that commonly infects potatoes bears a striking resemblance to one of the key proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and researchers have used that to develop antibodies that may slow or prevent the onset of AD. ... > full story
Resistant Prions: Can They Be Transmitted By Environment As Well As Direct Contact? (August 16, 2008) -- Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant. ... > full story
New Bird Species Discovered In Gabon, Africa (August 16, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered a new species of bird in Gabon, Africa, that was, until now, unknown to the scientific community. The newly found olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) was named by the scientists for its distinctive olive back and rump. Adult birds measure 4.5 inches in length and average 18 grams in weight. ... > full story
Synthetic Biology Is Bearing Fruit: Blockers Against Blockers (August 16, 2008) -- Synthetic Biology is bearing fruit: the tuberculosis pathogen can be fooled by a widely used food additive. The WHO records around nine million new cases of the disease each year, and about 50 million people are infected with a strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is resistant to the antibiotics Isoniazid and Rifampicin. ... > full story
Studying Volcanoes With Balloons (August 16, 2008) -- People do all kinds of crazy things in Hawaii, but flying balloons over a volcano usually isn’t one of them. Unless you’re Adam Durant, that is. ... > full story
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