ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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Scientists Tie Chickpea Disease To Fungal Culprit (August 27, 2008) -- The fungus Sclerotinia trifoliorum plagues legume crops worldwide. But chickpeas seem to have escaped its wrath, with the exception of Australia's crop. Now, that's no longer the case, report scientists. ... > full story
Catalyst For Water Oxidation Adopted From Plants: A Means For Energy-efficient Production Of Hydrogen? (August 27, 2008) -- A team of Australian and American researchers has developed a catalyst that effectively catalyzes the photooxidation of water. The core of the catalyst is a manganese-containing complex modeled after those found in photosynthetic organisms. ... > full story
How Does Bluetongue Virus Survive Through The Winter? (August 27, 2008) -- In 2006, Bluetongue virus -- which infects livestock -- reached Northern Europe for the first time. Some people thought that the outbreak would be limited to that particular year, as winter was expected to kill off the midges that host and spread the disease, bringing the threat of infection to an end. In actuality, the disease escalated in the following year, spreading to the UK. So, how did the virus survive the winter? ... > full story
More Strawberries, More Antioxidant Absorption (August 26, 2008) -- Scientists have assessed the human body's capacity for absorbing certain antioxidant compounds in strawberries, and have found that the absorption of one key beneficial plant chemical was not "maxed out" as volunteers ate more of this popular fruit. Foods high in antioxidants may be excellent sources of healthful compounds, and researchers are striving to learn more about their ability to be absorbed and utilized within the human body. ... > full story
Oral Administration Of Lactobacillus From Breast Milk May Treat Common Infection In Lactating Mothers (August 26, 2008) -- Oral administration of lactobacillus strains found in breast milk may provide an alternative method to antibiotics for effectively treating mastitis, a common infection that occurs in lactating mothers say researchers from Spain. ... > full story
Fertilizer Technology Used Worldwide, But Few New Products Since 1970s (August 26, 2008) -- Most fertilizers used worldwide today were developed from 1950 to 1970 by the Tennessee Valley Authority based in Muscle Shoals. A million investment in fertilizer research returned billion to US agriculture. Public funding for fertilizer development has dropped dramatically since the TVA fertilizer program closed in the 1990s. Research is needed to develop a new generation of energy-efficient fertilizers to help alleviate the food crisis. ... > full story
Protein Structure Discovery Opens Door For Drugs To Fight Bird Flu, Other Influenza Epidemics (August 26, 2008) -- Researchers have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight the much-feared bird flu and other virulent strains of influenza. They have determined the three-dimensional structure of a site on an influenza A virus protein that binds to one of its human protein targets, thereby suppressing a person's natural defenses to the infection and paving the way for the virus to replicate efficiently. ... > full story
New Virus Threatens High Plains Wheat Crop (August 26, 2008) -- Triticum mosaic virus poses a new threat to Texas wheat, according to Texas AgriLife Research scientists in Amarillo. Researchers are working on a variety of studies to determine how big of a role it plays in the disease pressure put on area wheat. ... > full story
Polar Bears Found Swimming Miles From Alaskan Coast (August 26, 2008) -- An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska's Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water -- with one at least 60 miles from shore -- raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival. ... > full story
Intensity Of Human Environmental Impact May Lessen As Incomes Rise, Analysis Suggests (August 26, 2008) -- The richer you are, the more of the world's resources you can afford to consume. But in many parts of the world, rising incomes are not having the proportionate effect on energy consumption, croplands and deforestation that one might expect, a new 25-year study shows. ... > full story
Undergrads' Amazon Trip Yields A Treasure Trove Of Diversity (August 26, 2008) -- Yale undergraduates have discovered dozens of potentially beneficial bioactive microorganisms within plants they collected in the Amazon rain forest, including several so genetically distinct that they may be the first members of new taxonomical genera. ... > full story
Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria Provide Clean Energy (August 26, 2008) -- A new "green" technology developed cooperatively by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service and North Carolina State University could lead to production of hydrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria. ... > full story
'Slick' Gene Helps Cattle Beat The Heat (August 26, 2008) -- Pinpointing the chromosomal location of the "slick" gene identified by scientists could help breeders develop cattle with shorter, slick hair that helps keep them cool in the subtropical heat. ... > full story
New Evidence Debunks 'Stupid' Neanderthal Myth (August 26, 2008) -- New research has struck another blow to the theory that Neanderthals became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors. The research team has shown that early stone tool technologies developed by our species, Homo sapiens, were no more efficient than those used by Neanderthals. Their discovery debunks a textbook belief held by archaeologists for more than 60 years. ... > full story
Even Seaweeds Get Sunburned (August 26, 2008) -- It is red, it burns and itches: a sunburn on our skin. However, too much sun is not only bad for humans. Many plants react sensitively to an increased dose of ultraviolet radiation, too. Yet they are dependent on sunlight. However, this has its limits: too much sun means an over-abundance of energy and thus the destruction of the sensitive pigments. The result are black spots, pale leaves and rotten parts. ... > full story
Broccoli Could Reverse The Heart Damaging Effects Of Diabetes (August 26, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered eating broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels. ... > full story
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
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