ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Monday, September 1, 2008
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Life Under The Laser: Unique Technology Illuminates Microscopic Activity In Body's Chemical Messenger System (August 31, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a unique technology that will allow scientists to look at microscopic activity within the body's chemical messenger system for the very first time, live as it happens. ... > full story
No More Big Stink: Scent Lures Mosquitoes, But Humans Can't Smell It (August 31, 2008) -- Mosquito traps that reek like latrines may be no more. Chemical ecologists have discovered a low-cost, easy-to-prepare attractant that lures blood-fed mosquitoes without making humans hold their noses. ... > full story
Incidence Of Intestinal Parasite Coccidia Is Increasing In Broilers (August 31, 2008) -- Coccidia are single-celled intestinal parasites that currently represent one of the greatest challenges to the broiler industry. To keep the level of infection low, farmers commonly add coccidia-inhibiting chemicals (coccidiostats) to broiler feed. While this does not kill the parasites, it greatly reduces the incidence of overt sickness and death from infection. While clinical coccidiosis is therefore not a problem, veterinary authorities have never been able to gauge the extent of subclinical coccidiosis and the consequences this may have for animal welfare issues and production costs. ... > full story
Public Involvement Usually Leads To Better Environmental Decision Making (August 31, 2008) -- When done correctly, public participation improves the quality of federal agencies' decisions about the environment, says a new report from the National Research Council. ... > full story
Treatment For Hearing Loss? Scientists Grow Hair Cells Involved in Hearing (August 30, 2008) -- Scientists have successfully produced functional auditory hair cells in the cochlea of the mouse inner ear. The breakthrough suggests that a new therapy may be developed in the future to successfully treat hearing loss. ... > full story
Magmatically Triggered Slow Earthquake Discovered At Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii (August 30, 2008) -- From June 17-19, 2007, Kilauea experienced a new dike intrusion, where magma rapidly moved from a storage reservoir beneath the summit into the east rift zone and extended the rift zone by as much as 1 meter. ... > full story
Novel Approach In Molecular Differentiation Of Prion Strains (August 30, 2008) -- Scientists have identified a prion protein characteristic that is unique to some natural but unusual sheep scrapie cases. This finding may provide a novel method by which to study prion diversity and their possible changes during cross-species transmission. ... > full story
Antarctic Research Helps Shed Light On Climate Change On Mars (August 30, 2008) -- Eroded gullies on the flanks of Martian craters may have been formed by snowmelt as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago and in sites once occupied by glaciers. Similar conditions can be found in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. Rather than being a dead planet, the new data are consistent with dynamic climate changes on Mars. ... > full story
Scientists Discover Why Flies Are So Hard To Swat (August 29, 2008) -- Over the past two decades, Michael Dickinson has been interviewed by reporters hundreds of times about his research on the biomechanics of insect flight. One question from the press has always dogged him: Why are flies so hard to swat? "Now I can finally answer," says Dickinson, the Esther M. and Abe M. Zarem Professor of Bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology. ... > full story
Katrina And Rita Provide Glimpse Of What Could Happen To Offshore Drilling If Gustav Hits Gulf (August 29, 2008) -- Shortly after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the US, engineers studied damage done to offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. If tropical storm Gustav strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane, as forecasters are predicting, the damage could be extensive. ... > full story
Unexpected Large Monkey Population Discovered In Cambodia: Tens Of Thousands Of Threatened Primates (August 29, 2008) -- Biologists have discovered surprisingly large populations of two globally threatened primates in a protected area in Cambodia. The report counted 42,000 black-shanked douc langurs along with 2,500 yellow-cheeked crested gibbons in Cambodia's Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area, an estimate that represents the largest known populations for both species in the world. ... > full story
'Pristine' Amazonian Region Hosted Large, Urban Civilization (August 29, 2008) -- They aren't the lost cities early explorers sought fruitlessly to discover. But ancient settlements in the Amazon, now almost entirely obscured by tropical forest, were once large and complex enough to be considered "urban" as the term is commonly applied to both medieval European and ancient Greek communities. ... > full story
Black Raspberries Slow Cancer By Altering Hundreds Of Genes (August 29, 2008) -- New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effectively inhibit cancer development than single agents aimed at shutting down a particular gene. Researchers examined the effect of freeze-dried black raspberries on genes altered by a chemical carcinogen in an animal model of esophageal cancer. ... > full story
Saving Lives Through Smarter Hurricane Evacuations (August 29, 2008) -- Hundreds of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars could potentially be saved if emergency managers could make better and more timely critical decisions when faced with an approaching hurricane. Now, an MIT graduate student has developed a computer model that could help do just that. ... > full story
Eyes Evolved For 'X-Ray Vision': Forward-facing Eyes Allow Animals To 'See Through' Clutter In The World (August 29, 2008) -- The advantage of using two eyes to see the world around us has long been associated solely with our capacity to see in 3-D. Now, a new study has uncovered a truly eye-opening advantage to binocular vision: our ability to see through things. ... > full story
Natural Chemical From Sea Sponges Induces Death In Cancer Cells Via Unusual Pathway (August 29, 2008) -- A chemical called candidaspongiolide (CAN) inhibits protein synthesis but also kills cancer cells by triggering caspase 12-dependent programmed cell death, according to an article in the Aug. 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. ... > full story
Explosives Go 'Green' ... And Get More Precise (August 29, 2008) -- Certain explosives may soon get a little greener and a little more precise. Researchers have added unique green solvents (ionic liquids) to an explosive called TATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene) and improved the crystal quality and chemical purity of the material. ... > full story
Researchers Provide Solution To World’s Worst Mass Poisoning Case (August 29, 2008) -- A solution to the world's worst case of ongoing mass poisoning, linked to rising cancer rates in Southern Asia, has been developed by researchers from Queen's University Belfast. They have created new low-cost technology to provide arsenic-free water to millions of people in South Asia currently exposed to high levels of the poison in groundwater. ... > full story
Fishing For Profits On World Caviar Market (August 29, 2008) -- As sturgeon populations decline in the Caspian Sea, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have a found way for Israel to cash in on the world's growing demand for caviar. ... > full story
Arctic Ice On Verge Of Another All-time Low (August 28, 2008) -- Following last summer's record minimum ice cover in the Arctic, current observations from ESA's Envisat satellite suggest that the extent of polar sea-ice may again shrink to a level very close to that of last year. ... > full story
Cluster Watches Earth's Leaky Atmosphere (August 28, 2008) -- Oxygen is constantly leaking out of Earth's atmosphere and into space. Now, ESA's formation-flying quartet of satellites, Cluster, has discovered the physical mechanism that is driving the escape. It turns out that the Earth's own magnetic field is accelerating the oxygen away. ... > full story
Student-designed Device To Help Poor East Africans Coax Oil From Coconuts (August 28, 2008) -- Student engineers designed an innovative and cost-effective apparatus that enables poor East African women to turn abundant coconuts into valuable coconut oil. ... > full story
New Report Card Shows Campuses Going Greener (August 28, 2008) -- Is your alma mater among those stepping up to green their campuses? Are our colleges preparing students for a greener future? You can find out in National Wildlife Federation's just-released Campus Environment 2008 Report Card, a comprehensive look at nationwide trends in sustainability among America's institutions of higher learning. The report compares findings with the previous study conducted in 2001. ... > full story
Jamaican Lizards' Shows Of Strength Mark Territory At Dawn, Dusk (August 28, 2008) -- What does Jack LaLanne have in common with a Jamaican lizard? Like the ageless fitness guru, the lizards greet each new day with vigorous push-ups. That's according to a new study showing that male Anolis lizards engage in impressive displays of reptilian strength -- push-ups, head bobs, and threatening extension of a colorful neck flap called a dewlap -- to defend their territory at dawn and dusk. ... > full story
Protection Zones In The Wrong Place To Prevent Coral Reef Collapse (August 28, 2008) -- Conservation zones are in the wrong place to protect vulnerable coral reefs from the effects of global warming, an international team of scientists warned today. Now the team say that urgent action is needed to prevent the collapse of this important marine ecosystem. ... > full story
Proteins Have Controlled Motions, Researcher Shows (August 28, 2008) -- Iowa State University researcher Robert Jernigan believes that his research shows proteins have controlled motions. Most biochemists traditionally believe proteins have many random, uncontrolled movements. ... > full story
Olive Leaf Extract Can Help Tackle High Blood Pressure And Cholesterol (August 28, 2008) -- Taking 1000 mg of a specific olive leaf extract (EFLA 943) can lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure in patients with mild hypertension (high blood pressure). These findings came from a "Twins" trial, in which different treatments were given to identical twins. By doing this, researchers could increase the power of their data by eliminating some of the uncertainties caused by genetic variations between individual people. ... > full story
Facades: A Source Of Water Pollution (August 28, 2008) -- For many years, fingers have been pointed at agriculture whenever pesticides are detected in rivers and streams. Studies now show that built-up areas also account for a considerable proportion of such inputs. For example, substances can be leached out of facade renders and paints by rainwater and enter the environment, where they may have toxic effects on organisms. ... > full story
New LIDAR System Sees The Sky In 3D (August 28, 2008) -- A new LIDAR measurement system -- unique in the world -- will provide continuous data on atmospheric humidity for Western Switzerland's weather forecasting headquarters. ... > full story
Genetic Underpinnings Of Sheep Traits May Yield Clues To Greater Productivity (August 28, 2008) -- Keeping America's sheep healthy and productive while expanding the market for wool and lamb is the goal of scientists who are matching the animals' physical traits to the genes that underpin their expression. ... > full story
Why Is Greenland Covered In Ice? Changes In Carbon Dioxide Levels Explain Transition (August 28, 2008) -- A fall in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, close to that of pre-industrial times, explains the transition from a mostly ice-free Greenland of three million years ago to the ice-covered region we see today. ... > full story
Sweet Potato Out-Yields Corn In Ethanol Production Study (August 28, 2008) -- In experiments, sweet potatoes grown in Maryland and Alabama yielded two to three times as much carbohydrate for fuel ethanol production as field corn grown in those states, scientists report. The same was true of tropical cassava in Alabama. ... > full story
Protein Misprediction Uncovered By New Technique (August 28, 2008) -- A new bioinformatics tool is capable of identifying and correcting abnormal, incomplete and mispredicted protein annotations in public databases. The MisPred tool currently uses five principles to identify suspect proteins that are likely to be abnormal or mispredicted. ... > full story
Yellowstone's Ancient Supervolcano: Molten Plume Of Material Cooler Than Expected (August 28, 2008) -- The geysers of Yellowstone National Park owe their existence to the "Yellowstone hotspot" -- a region of molten rock buried deep beneath Yellowstone, geologists have found. ... > full story
Nonviable Seeds May Contain Research-Quality DNA (August 28, 2008) -- Agricultural Research Service scientists have ways of making seeds talk. They have demonstrated that seeds can reveal genetic information even after they've lost viability, which is the ability to germinate. The research has significant implications for seed bank management. ... > full story
Heavy Metal Link To Mutations, Low Growth And Fertility Among Crustaceans In Sydney Harbor Tributary (August 28, 2008) -- Heavy metal pollutants are linked to genetic mutations, stunted growth and declining fertility among small crustaceans in the Parramatta River, the main tributary of Sydney Harbor, new research shows. The finding adds to mounting evidence that toxic sediments and seaweeds in Sydney Harbor are a deadly diet for many sea creatures. ... > full story
Profiling Protective Proteins In Dairy Cows (August 27, 2008) -- Agricultural Research Service molecular biologist John Lippolis is delving into the dynamics of the dairy cow immune system. His work is resulting in the first close-up look at how immune system proteins help protect the cows, and how bacterial proteins fight back. ... > full story
Consumption Of Nuts, Corn Or Popcorn Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Diverticulosis In Men (August 27, 2008) -- Contrary to a common recommendation to avoid eating popcorn, nuts and corn to prevent diverticular complications, a large prospective study of men indicates that the consumption of these foods does not increase the risk of diverticulosis or diverticular complications. ... > full story
Wireless Sensors Learn From Life (August 27, 2008) -- European and Indian researchers are applying principles learned from living organisms to design self-organising networks of wireless sensors suitable for a wide range of environmental monitoring purposes. ... > full story
Researching Impact Of Global Warming On Corals (August 27, 2008) -- Scientists are collecting the spawn of elkhorn corals as part of a research and education project to grow the newborn juvenile corals for distribution to aquaria and to the wild. The goals of the project are to learn how corals will respond to global warming and also to teach aquarium professionals how they can protect corals by using laboratory-raised specimens rather than removing corals from the ocean. ... > full story
First Prehistoric Pregnant Turtle And Nest Of Eggs Discovered In Southern Alberta (August 27, 2008) -- A 75-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant turtle and a nest of fossilized eggs that were discovered in the badlands of southeastern Alberta are yielding new ideas on the evolution of egg-laying and reproduction in turtles and tortoises. ... > full story
Racing Cane Toads Reveals They Get Cold Feet On Southern Australia Invasion (August 27, 2008) -- Cane toads weren't allowed to compete in the Olympics, but scientists have raced cane toads in the laboratory and calculated that they would not be able to invade Melbourne, Adelaide or Hobart and are unlikely to do well in Perth or Sydney, even with climate change. ... > full story
High Levels Of Toxic Metals Found In Herbal Medicine Products Sold Online (August 27, 2008) -- One fifth of both US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain lead, mercury or arsenic. ... > full story
Taking Earth's Temperature Via Satellite (August 27, 2008) -- Imagine adding a thermometer to Google Earth. That's the vision of Agricultural Research Service scientists Martha Anderson and Bill Kustas, who see the need for high-resolution thermal infrared imaging tools -- such as those aboard the aging Landsat satellites -- as vital to monitoring earth's health. ... > full story
Bone Parts Don't Add Up To Conclusion Of Hobbit-like Palauan Dwarfs (August 27, 2008) -- Misinterpreted fragments of leg bones, teeth and brow ridges found in Palau appear to be an archaeologist's undoing, according to researchers at three institutions. They say that the so-called dwarfs of these Micronesian islands actually were modern, normal-sized hunters and gatherers. ... > full story
Is Extinction Or Diversity On The Rise? Study Of Islands Reveals Surprising Results (August 27, 2008) -- It's no secret that humans are having a huge impact on the life cycles of plants and animals. UC Santa Barbara researchers decided to test that theory by studying the world's far-flung islands. Their research sheds surprising light on the subject of extinction rates of species on islands. ... > full story
New Oral Vaccine May Protect Against Bubonic Plague (August 27, 2008) -- Researchers have used a less virulent ancestor to the highly infectious bubonic plague to develop a potentially safe, efficient and inexpensive live oral vaccine. ... > full story
Fishing Technology Letting Turtles Off The Hook (August 27, 2008) -- Alternative fishing technology has been shown to save turtles while not affecting fish catches, according to a new report. ... > full story
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