ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Monday, August 25, 2008
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LipidomicNet: New Lipidomics Project Promotes Translational Research Towards Human Disease (August 25, 2008) -- The enormous advances in biology and biomedical research during the last decade originate mainly from the fields of Genomics and Proteomics. The current revolution in lipid analysis, however, promises change. For the first time the methodological possibilities are available to map the entire spectrum of lipids in cells, tissues and whole organisms. ... > full story
Extinct In England For Nearly Three Decades: Could The Burbot Swim Again In UK Rivers? (August 25, 2008) -- Scientists are to carry out a feasibility study on the possibility of reintroducing burbot, a freshwater fish, to UK rivers, and are conducting an online survey to hear the views of members of the public. ... > full story
Rigorous Earthquake Simulations Aim To Make Buildings Safer (August 24, 2008) -- Engineering researchers have concluded months of rigorous earthquake simulation tests on a half-scale three-story structure, and will now begin sifting through their results so they can be used in the future designs of buildings across the nation. ... > full story
How Well Do Antimicrobial Products Kill Biofilms? (August 24, 2008) -- Scientist Darla Goeres knows that there is more than one way to grow a biofilm, a fact that she uses to make sure that when a product claims it kills "99 percent" of bacteria, it really does the job. Biofilms are the extremely common communities of bacteria that form on most wet surfaces. They range from the plaque on teeth to the slime on streamside rocks to the sludge that clogs pipes. ... > full story
Foul Owls Use Feces To Show They Are In Fine Feather (August 24, 2008) -- Researchers now provide descriptive and experimental evidence that suggests that owl feces and prey remains could act as previously unrecognized visual signals for eagle owls. ... > full story
Exploding Chromosomes Fuel Research About Evolution Of Genetic Storage (August 24, 2008) -- Research into single-celled, aquatic algae called dinoflagellates is showing that these and related organisms may have evolved more than one way to tightly pack their DNA into chromsomes. Even so, the evolution of chromosomes in dinoflagellates, humans and other mammals seem to share a common biochemical basis. ... > full story
Getting To The Root Of The Matter (August 24, 2008) -- A number of current issues related to water availability and climate change are giving impetus to new research aimed at roots and their functioning. The research is producing new experimental methods, data acquisition and theoretical understanding. Recently, scientists from the US Salinity Laboratory, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, assembled a collection of new research in the form of 13 papers that are published as a special section of the August issue of Vadose Zone Journal. ... > full story
How Daughter Is Different From Mother ... In Yeast Cells (August 23, 2008) -- Scientists know how mother and daughter can be so different. Mother and daughter yeast cells, that is. The researchers have discovered a new mechanism for cell fate determination -- how one cell, the daughter, becomes dramatically different from the mother, even though they have the same genetic material. The study shows why mothers and daughters differ in how they express their genes: a certain gene regulator gets trapped in the daughter cell's nucleus. ... > full story
Rapid Test For Pathogens: Could Be Used To Detect Diseases Used By Bioterrorists (August 23, 2008) -- Dangerous disease often spreads faster than it takes to diagnose it in the lab. To remedy that, researchers at Kansas State University have developed a test to bring that time from days down to hours. ... > full story
Drier, Warmer Springs In US Southwest Stem From Human-caused Changes In Winds (August 23, 2008) -- Human-driven changes in the westerly winds are bringing hotter and drier springs to the American Southwest, according to new research from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Since the 1970s the winter storm track in the western US has been shifting north, particularly in the late winter. As a result, fewer winter storms bring rain and snow to Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and western New Mexico. ... > full story
Pangea Conundrum (August 23, 2008) -- The existence of the supercontinent Pangea, which formed about 300 million years ago and broke up about 200 million years ago, is a cornerstone of plate tectonics, and processes resulting in its assembly and fragmentation have governed the evolution of Earth's crust for 500 million years. Over the past 20 years, evidence has been amassing that Pangea is just the latest in a series of supercontinents that formed repeatedly since the Archean, only to break up and reform again. ... > full story
Genome Of Simplest Animal Reveals Ancient Lineage, Confounding Array Of Complex Capabilities (August 23, 2008) -- The genome of the simple and primitive animal, Trichoplax adhaerens, appears to harbor a far more complex suite of capabilities than meets the eye. The findings establish a group of organisms as a branching point of animal evolution and identify sets of genes, or a "parts list," employed by organisms that have evolved along particular branches. ... > full story
Fish Cancer Gene Linked To Pigment Pattern That Attracts Mates (August 23, 2008) -- Though skin cancer is deadly to male fish, it also has one perk: The black melanoma splotches arise from attractive natural markings that lure female mates. A new study shows that the melanoma gene can be conserved in swordtail fish because of its beneficial role in sexual selection. ... > full story
New Climate Record Shows Century-long Droughts In Eastern North America (August 23, 2008) -- A stalagmite in a West Virginia cave has yielded the most detailed geological record to date on climate cycles in eastern North America over the past 7,000 years. The new study confirms that during periods when Earth received less solar radiation, the Atlantic Ocean cooled, icebergs increased and precipitation fell, creating a series of century-long droughts. ... > full story
Genes And Nutrition Influence Caste In Unusual Species Of Harvester Ant (August 23, 2008) -- Researchers trying to determine whether nature or nurture determines an ant's status in the colony have found a surprising answer. Both. Nature (that is, the ant’s genetic makeup) and nurture (what it eats, for example) play a role in determining the fate of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius, a resilient creature found in many parts of the southeastern United States. ... > full story
Some Cells Self-destruct For The Greater Common Good (August 22, 2008) -- Individual cells in a population of bacteria can sacrifice their lives for others to achieve a greater common good. Biologists have described a new biological concept in which self-sacrifice and self-destruction play an important role. ... > full story
With Skate Eyes, Scientists Peer Into Human Disease (August 22, 2008) -- Paradoxically, the photoreceptor cells in our retinas release more of their neurotransmitter, glutamate, in the dark, when there is nothing to see, than they do in the light. This is doubly surprising since although glutamate is a major signaling molecule in the retina and throughout the central nervous system, it is also a potent cytotoxin that, in large doses, can kill nearby cells. ... > full story
Malaria Researchers Identify New Mosquito Virus (August 22, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a previously unknown virus that is infectious to Anopheles gambiae -- the mosquito primarily responsible for transmitting malaria. ... > full story
New And Improved Test For West Nile Virus In Horses (August 22, 2008) -- A new test for West Nile virus in horses that could be modified for use with humans and wildlife may help track the spread of the disease. ... > full story
Climate Change Could Be Impetus For Wars, Other Conflicts, Expert Says (August 22, 2008) -- Some international-security experts say that climate-change-related damage to global ecosystems and the resulting competition for natural resources may increasingly serve as triggers for wars and other conflicts in the future. ... > full story
Turning Up The Heat On Tomatoes Boosts Absorption Of Lycopene (August 22, 2008) -- Turning up the heat on the red tomato during processing has the potential to give the popular garden staple added disease-fighting power. Scientists have found that lycopene molecules in tomatoes that are combined with fat and subjected to intense heat during processing are restructured in a way that appears to ease their transport into the bloodstream and tissue. The tomato is the primary food source of lycopene, a naturally occurring pigment linked to the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. ... > full story
Manes, Trains And Antlers Explained: How Showy Male Traits Evolved (August 22, 2008) -- For Charles Darwin, the problem of the peacock's tail, in light of his theory of natural selection, was vexing in the extreme. A team of Wisconsin scientists has turned from the question of why such male traits exist to precisely how they evolved. They have worked out the molecular details of how a simple genetic switch controls decorative traits in male fruit flies and how that switch evolved. ... > full story
Continued Breakup Of Two Of Greenland's Largest Glaciers Shown In Satellite Images (August 22, 2008) -- Researchers monitoring daily satellite images of Greenland's glaciers have discovered break-ups at two of the largest glaciers in the last month. They expect that part of the Northern hemisphere's longest floating glacier will continue to disintegrate within the next year. ... > full story
Radioactive Waste Recycling No Longer A Pain In The Ash (August 22, 2008) -- A new recycling plant will soon recover uranium from the ashes of radioactive garbage to be recycled back into nuclear fuel using an efficient, environmentally friendly technology inspired by decaffeinated coffee. The technique's future may even hold the key to recycling the most dangerous forms of radioactive waste. ... > full story
Tracing Origins Of Critical Step In Animal Evolution: The Development Of Nerves (August 22, 2008) -- Researchers have traced the origins of one of the most important steps in animal evolution -- the development of nerves. ... > full story
Molecule That Keeps Pathogens Like Salmonella In Check Uncovered (August 22, 2008) -- Scientists have found a potential new way to stop the bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, tularemia and severe diarrhea from making people sick. ... > full story
Dietary Supplements For Horses, Dogs And Cats Need Better Regulation, New Report Says (August 22, 2008) -- The growing use of animal dietary supplements has raised several concerns, including the safety of specific supplements and the approaches taken to determine their safeness. ... > full story
Kids With Pets Grow Up To Be Snorers (August 22, 2008) -- A predisposition to adult snoring can be established very early in life. New research describes possible childhood risk factors, including exposure to animals, early respiratory or ear infections and growing up in a large family. ... > full story
Trees Kill Odors And Other Emissions From Poultry Farms (August 22, 2008) -- Trees aren't just for wood and decoration -- they may also destroy odors. Scientists are reporting data showing that just three rows of trees planted around poultry farms can cut nuisance emissions of dust, ammonia and odors from poultry houses. ... > full story
Oil, Gas Seismic Work Not Affecting Gulf Sperm Whales, Study Shows (August 22, 2008) -- In recent years, there has been concern that man-made noise may be a cause of stress for dolphins, whales and other marine mammals, but the results of a five-year study show that noise pollution seems to have minimal effect on endangered sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico, say researchers from Texas A&M University who led the project and released their 323-page report today at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. ... > full story
Measuring Calcium In Serpentine Soils (August 22, 2008) -- Serpentine soils contain highly variable amounts of calcium, making them marginal lands for farming. Successful management of serpentine soils requires accurate measurement of the calcium they hold. Research published this month in the Soil Science Society of America Journal shows that multiple measurement techniques are needed to accurately measure calcium content in serpentine soils. ... > full story
Shipwrecks On Coral Reefs Harbor Unwanted Species (August 22, 2008) -- Shipwrecks on coral reefs may increase invasion of unwanted species, according to a recent US Geological Survey study. These unwanted species can completely overtake the reef and eliminate all the native coral, dramatically decreasing the diversity of marine organisms on the reef. This study documents for the first time that a rapid change in the dominant biota on a coral reef is unambiguously associated with man-made structures. ... > full story
New Clues To Air Circulation In The Atmosphere (August 22, 2008) -- Air circulates above the Earth in four distinct cells, with two either side of the equator, say researchers. A new observational study describes how air rises and falls in the atmosphere above the Earth's surface, creating the world's weather. This process of atmospheric circulation creates weather patterns and influences the climate of the planet. It is important to understand these processes in order to predict weather events, and to improve and test climate models. ... > full story
China Sees Spike In Rabies Cases (August 22, 2008) -- A new Chinese study has reported a dramatic spike in rabies infections. The research shows that in some provinces of China the number of human rabies cases has jumped dramatically since the new millennium. ... > full story
Genetics Reveals Big Fish That Almost Got Away (August 21, 2008) -- A new species of fish has been discovered -- a grouper that reaches more than six feet in length and can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds. This newly discovered species can be found roaming the tropical reefs of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. ... > full story
Earthquakes May Endanger New York More Than Thought; Nuclear Power Plant Seen As Particular Risk (August 21, 2008) -- Seismologists suggests that a pattern of subtle but active faults make the risk of earthquakes to the New York City area substantially greater than formerly believed. Among other things, they say that the controversial Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones. ... > full story
Eco-architecture Could Produce 'Grow Your Own' Homes (August 21, 2008) -- A bus stop that grows its own foliage as shade? A children’s playground, made entirely from trees? A shelter made from living tree roots that could provide natural protection against earthquakes in California? "Eco-architecture" may sound like a Buck Rogers vision of an ecologically-sustainable future, but that future is now thanks to the guidance of Tel Aviv University Professors Yoav Waisel and Amram Eshel. ... > full story
Biodiesel Byproduct Converted Into Omega-3 Fatty Acids (August 21, 2008) -- The typical American diet often lacks omega-3 fatty acids despite clinical research that shows their potential human health benefits. Now researchers have found a way to grow these compounds using a byproduct of the emerging biodiesel industry. ... > full story
FBI Unveils Science Of Anthrax Investigation (August 21, 2008) -- Sandia researchers identified that the form of bacillus anthracis mailed in the fall of 2001 to several news media offices and to two US senators was a non-weaponized form of the spores. Five people were killed. Sandia's information was crucial in ruling out state-sponsored terrorism. ... > full story
Future Impact Of Global Warming Is Worse When Grazing Animals Are Considered, Scientists Suggest (August 21, 2008) -- The impact of global warming in the Arctic may differ from the predictions of computer models, according to new research, which shows that grazing animals will play a key role in reducing the anticipated expansion of shrub growth in the region, thus limiting the shrubs' predicted and beneficial carbon-absorbing effect. ... > full story
A Better Way To Make Hydrogen From Biofuels (August 21, 2008) -- Researchers here have found a way to convert ethanol and other biofuels into hydrogen very efficiently. A new catalyst makes hydrogen from ethanol with 90 percent yield, at a workable temperature, and using inexpensive ingredients. The new catalyst is much less expensive than others being developed around the world, because it does not contain precious metals, such as platinum or rhodium. ... > full story
Oetzi The Iceman Dressed Like A Herdsman (August 21, 2008) -- A famous Neolithic Iceman is dressed in clothes made from sheep and cattle hair, a new study shows. The researchers say their findings support the idea that the Iceman was a herdsman, and that their technique has use in the modern clothing industry. ... > full story
Polymer Electric Storage, Flexible And Adaptable (August 21, 2008) -- The proliferation of solar, wind and even tidal electric generation and the rapid emergence of hybrid electric automobiles demands flexible and reliable methods of high-capacity electrical storage. Now materials scientists are developing ferroelectric polymer-based capacitors that can deliver power more rapidly and are much lighter than conventional batteries. ... > full story
Tailor-made Functional Garments For Olympic Horses (August 21, 2008) -- When the horses and competitors go through their paces at the Summer Olympics in Hong Kong in 2008, it will be very hot and very humid -- just as it is every summer there. Three special blankets will offer the Swiss teams' tournament horses some respite from the elements. When the animals move from their air-conditioned stables to the tournament venue, they will be protected from the brilliant sunshine by cooling covers. ... > full story
Strawberry-flavored Banana? Biochemists Manipulate Fruit Flavor Enzymes (August 20, 2008) -- Would you like a lemony watermelon? How about a strawberry-flavored banana? Biochemists say the day may be coming when scientists will be able to fine tune enzymes responsible for flavors in fruits and vegetables. In addition, it could lead to environmentally-friendly pest control. ... > full story
Decline And Slow Recovery of Atlantic Salmon Illuminated With Tagging (August 20, 2008) -- For years scientists have struggled to understand the decline and slow recovery of Atlantic salmon, a once abundant and highly prized game and food fish native to New England rivers. Biologists agree that poor marine survival is affecting salmon in the US and Canada, but specific causes are difficult to determine in the ocean. Small acoustic tags and associated technology may provide some answers. ... > full story
Dirty Smoke From Ships Found To Degrade Air Quality In Coastal Cities (August 20, 2008) -- Chemists have measured for the first time the impact that dirty smoke from ships cruising at sea and generating electricity in port can have on the air quality of coastal cities. The scientists report that the impact of dirty smoke from ships burning high-sulfur fuel can be substantial, on some days accounting for nearly one-half of the fine, sulfur-rich particulate matter in the air known to be hazardous to human health. ... > full story
Tracking A Crop Disease Could Save Millions Of Lives (August 20, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered why one of the world's most important agricultural diseases emerged, according to research published in the Journal of General Virology. Maize streak virus (MSV) causes the main virus disease of Africa's most important food crop. By comparing the genome of the virus to those of its less harmful relatives, scientists have discovered how and why MSV became a serious pest and spread so rapidly across Africa. ... > full story
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