ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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Why Wind Turbines Can Mean Death For Bats (August 26, 2008) -- Power-generating wind turbines have long been recognized as a potentially life-threatening hazard for birds. But at most wind facilities, bats actually die in much greater numbers. Now, researchers think they know why. ... > full story
Drought-tolerant Corn Developed (August 26, 2008) -- At the end of the day, drought tolerance in corn has to equate to good yields and good quality, not just good looks, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. Corn breeders are working with crosses between temperate and tropically adapted varieties of corn to find a drought-tolerant plant that performs well under reduced irrigation. ... > full story
Stem Cells Stand Up For Themselves (August 26, 2008) -- Adult stem cells are not pampered pushovers. O'Reilly et al. report in the Aug. 25 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology that certain stem cells take charge of their surroundings, molding their environment to control their division and differentiation. ... > full story
Building A Stronger Roof Over Your Head: 'Three Little Pigs' Project Begins First Tests (August 26, 2008) -- This week, inaugural tests at The University of Western Ontario's 'Three Little Pigs' project at the Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes will get underway. This facility is the first of its kind in the world to subject full-scale houses to pressures that simulate the effects of winds as strong as a category 5 hurricane -- or 200 mph -- all within a controlled environment. ... > full story
'Best Hope At Sustainable Fisheries' Short-changed By Conservation Efforts, Researchers Argue (August 26, 2008) -- Small scale fisheries produce as much annual catch for human consumption and use less than one-eighth the fuel as their industrial counterparts, but they are dealt a double-whammy by well-intentioned eco-labelling initiatives and ill-conceived fuel subsidies, according to a University of British Columbia study. ... > full story
Animals Adapt Their Vocal Signals To Social Situations (August 26, 2008) -- A special August issue of the Journal of Comparative Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association, presents a host of studies that investigate the way that animals adapt their calls, chirps, barks and whistles to their social situation. ... > full story
Monkeys Enjoy Giving To Others, Study Finds (August 25, 2008) -- Researchers have shown capuchin monkeys, just like humans, find giving to be a satisfying experience. This finding comes on the coattails of a recent imaging study in humans that documented activity in reward centers of the brain after humans gave to charity. Empathy in seeing the pleasure of another's fortune is thought to be the impetus for sharing, a trait this study shows transcends primate species. ... > full story
Biologists Find Diatom To Reduce Red Tide's Toxicity (August 25, 2008) -- Scientists have found that a diatom can reduce the levels of the red tide's toxicity to animals and that the same diatom can reduce its toxicity to other algae as well. ... > full story
Anti-cancer Flower Power: Researchers Combat Cancer With A Jasmine-based Drug (August 25, 2008) -- Could a substance from the jasmine flower hold the key to an effective new therapy to treat cancer? Researchers have developed an anti-cancer drug based on a decade of research into the commercial applications of the compound Jasmonate, a synthetic compound derived from the flower itself. ... > full story
How 'Secondary' Sex Characters Can Drive The Origin Of Species (August 25, 2008) -- The ostentatious, sometimes bizarre qualities that improve a creature's chances of finding a mate may also drive the reproductive separation of populations and the evolution of new species, say two Indiana University Bloomington biologists. ... > full story
Elephant Legs Are Much Bendier Than Shakespeare Thought (August 25, 2008) -- Through out history everyone though that elephants walk on inflexible column like legs. But when John Hutchinson from the Royal Veterinary College saw champion Thai racing elephants hurtling along at almost 7 m/s, he knew something else must be going on. Filming captive Asian elephants in UK zoos, and comparing his results with Delf Schwerda's data on African elephants, Hutchinson has found that elephant legs are very springy and almost as flexible as trotting horses' legs. ... > full story
Life Isn't 2-D, So Why Should Our Encyclopedias Be? (August 25, 2008) -- Biologists and biochemists are now able to access 3-D images of biomacromolecules underlying biological functions and disease. Rather than relying on text to provide the understanding of biomacromolecule structures, a collaborative Web site called Proteopedia now provides a new resource by linking written information and three-dimensional structural information. The wiki web resource, first described in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, displays protein structures and other biomacromolecules in interactive format. ... > full story
Bacteria Power: Future For Clean Energy Lies In 'Big Bang' Of Evolution (August 25, 2008) -- Bacteria may hold the key for our future. Amid mounting agreement that future clean, "carbon neutral," energy will rely on efficient conversion of the sun's light energy into fuels and electric power, attention is focusing on one of the most ancient groups of organism, the cyanobacteria. ... > full story
Tahitian Vanilla Originated In Maya Forests, Says Botanist (August 25, 2008) -- The origin of the Tahitian vanilla orchid has long eluded botanists. The orchid is found to exist only in cultivation; natural, wild populations have never been encountered. Now, a team of investigators claims to have traced Tahitian vanilla back to its true origins. The researchers argue that Tahitian vanilla began its evolutionary journey as a pre-Columbian Maya cultivar inside the tropical forests of Guatemala. ... > full story
GOCE Earth Explorer Satellite To Look At The Earth's Surface And Core (August 25, 2008) -- The European Space Agency is about to launch the most sophisticated mission ever to investigate the Earth's gravitational field and to map the reference shape of our planet -- the geoid -- with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. ... > full story
Converting Sunlight To Cheaper Energy (August 25, 2008) -- Scientists are working to convert sunlight to cheap electricity. They are working with new materials that can make devices used for converting sunlight to electricity cheaper and more efficient. ... > full story
A New Biopesticide For The Organic Food Boom (August 25, 2008) -- With the boom in consumption of organic foods creating a pressing need for natural insecticides and herbicides that can be used on crops certified as "organic," biopesticide pioneer Pam G. Marrone is reporting development of a new "green" pesticide obtained from an extract of the giant knotweed. The research will be reported in August at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Philadelphia. ... > full story
Tiny Cellular Antennae Trigger Neural Stem Cells (August 25, 2008) -- Scientists report evidence suggesting that the tiny cilia found on brain cells of mammals, thought to be vestiges of a primeval past, actually play a critical role in relaying molecular signals that spur creation of neurons in an area of the brain involved in mood, learning and memory. ... > full story
Archaeologists Lift Lid On Rare Roman Find (August 25, 2008) -- Archaeologists in the UK have discovered two rare Roman stone sarcophagi. The 1800-year-old sandstone coffins were uncovered at a dig on the site of former chapel and office buildings in Newcastle upon Tyne They are the first such find -- and arguably the most impressive -- in the area for more than 100 years. ... > full story
Researching Most Promising Carbon Dioxide Capture Technologies (August 25, 2008) -- A scientific research and development programme is being launched in Norway with the aim of generating more cost effective technology for CO2-capture. The project is one of the biggest of its kind to date. ... > full story
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
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