ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, September 11, 2008
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Dirty Air Brings Rain – Then Again, Maybe Not: Scientists Reconcile Contradictory Effects (September 11, 2008) -- Scientists have come up with a surprising finding to the disputed issue of whether air pollution increases or decreases rainfall. The conclusion: both can be true, depending on local environmental conditions. ... > full story
Bacteria Stop Sheep Dip From Poisoning Fish And Bees (September 11, 2008) -- Bacteria can be used to break down used sheep dip, preventing bees and fish from dying because of soil and river contamination, scientists report. ... > full story
World's First Synthetic Tree: May Lead To Technologies For Heat Transfer, Soil Remediation (September 11, 2008) -- In Abraham Stroock's lab at Cornell, the world's first synthetic tree sits in a palm-sized piece of clear, flexible hydrogel -- the type found in soft contact lenses. Stroock and graduate student Tobias Wheeler have created a "tree" that simulates the process of transpiration, the cohesive capillary action that allows trees to wick moisture upward to their highest branches. ... > full story
Engineers Create New Gecko-like Adhesive That Shakes Off Dirt (September 10, 2008) -- Researchers have created the first gecko-like adhesive that cleans itself after each use without the need for water or chemicals. It's the latest milestone in the effort to create a synthetic version of the remarkable toe hairs that enable the acrobatic feats of the gecko lizard. ... > full story
Bacteria's Sticky Glue Is Clue To Vaccine, Says Scientist (September 10, 2008) -- Sticky glue secreted by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus could be the clue scientists have been searching for to make an effective vaccine against MRSA, medical researchers report. ... > full story
Recovery Efforts Not Enough For Critically Endangered Asian Vulture (September 10, 2008) -- Captive breeding colonies of a critically endangered vulture, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled from tens of millions to a few thousand, are too small to protect the species from extinction, a new analysis shows. ... > full story
Oil Seed Rape Grown For Biofuel Can Help Clean Up Toxic Soils (September 10, 2008) -- Oil seed rape grown for biofuel in Ireland could help clean up contaminated soils, scientists report. ... > full story
Manure 'Smells Like Money' As Energy Costs Rise (September 10, 2008) -- With energy prices driving the cost of agricultural inputs up, nutrient-rich manure is getting another look. ... > full story
Eating Fish While Pregnant, Longer Breastfeeding, Lead To Better Infant Development, Research Finds (September 10, 2008) -- Higher prenatal fish consumption leads to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Longer breastfeeding was also independently beneficial. ... > full story
Climate: New Spin On Ocean's Role (September 10, 2008) -- New studies of the Southern Ocean are revealing previously unknown features of giant spinning eddies that are profoundly influencing marine life and the world's climate. These massive swirling structures -- the largest are known as gyres -- can be thousands of kilometers across and can extend down as deep as 500 meters or more, new research shows. ... > full story
New Nano Device Detects Immune System Cell Signaling (September 10, 2008) -- Scientists have detected previously unnoticed chemical signals that individual cells in the immune system use to communicate with each other over short distances. The signals the researchers detected originated in dendritic cells -- the sentinels of the immune system that do the initial detection of microscopic invaders -- and was received by nearby T-cells, which play a number of crucial roles in the immune system, including coordination of attacks on agents that cause disease or infection. ... > full story
Oxygen Theory Of Mass Extinction Questioned By New Research Findings (September 10, 2008) -- Several theories have been proposed by scientists to explain the two mass extinction events which took place on the earth 250 and 200 million years ago. The Permian-Triassic catastrophe (250 million years ago) was the worst of all five of the mass extinction events to ever have befallen the earth. It eradicated almost 95% of all species, 53% of marine families, 84% of marine genera and an approximated 70% of all land species including plants, insects and vertebrate animals. ... > full story
How Plants Fine Tune Their Natural Chemical Defenses (September 10, 2008) -- Even closely related plants produce their own natural chemical cocktails, each set uniquely adapted to the individual plant's specific habitat. Comparing antifungals produced by tobacco and henbane, researchers have discovered that only a few mutations in a key enzyme are enough to shift the whole output to an entirely new product mixture. ... > full story
Anthropologists Develop New Approach To Explain Religious Behavior (September 10, 2008) -- Without a way to measure religious beliefs, anthropologists have had difficulty studying religion. Now, two anthropologists from the University of Missouri and Arizona State University have developed a new approach to study religion by focusing on verbal communication, an identifiable behavior, instead of speculating about alleged beliefs in the supernatural that cannot actually be identified. ... > full story
Compost Heap Bacteria Could Provide 10% Of UK Transport Fuel Needs (September 10, 2008) -- Bacteria found in compost heaps able to convert waste plant fiber into ethanol could eventually provide up 10% of the UK's transport fuel needs, according to new research. ... > full story
Silent Streams? Escalating Endangerment For North American Freshwater Fish (September 10, 2008) -- Nearly 40 percent of freshwater fish species in North America are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed evaluation of the conservation status of these fishes in the last 20 years. The 700 fishes now listed represent a staggering 92 percent increase over the 364 listed as "imperiled" in the previous 1989 study published by the American Fisheries Society. Researchers classified each of the 700 fishes listed as either vulnerable (230), threatened (190) or endangered (280). In addition, 61 fishes are presumed extinct. ... > full story
No-till Practices Show Extended Benefits On Wheat And Forage (September 10, 2008) -- With more than 3 million acres of wheat in north Texas, 50 percent or more of which is grazed by 1 to 2 million head of cattle, it is important to look at tillage practices and their effect on forage production. Research agronomists have been studying nitrogen response and forage production in relation to tillage practices. ... > full story
Dogs And Cats Can Live In Perfect Harmony In The Home, If Introduced The Right Way (September 9, 2008) -- Thinking about adopting a perky little puppy as a friend for your fluffy cat, but worried that they'll fight -- well, like cats and dogs? Think again. New research has found a new recipe for success. ... > full story
Rattlesnake-type Poisons Used By Superbug Bacteria To Beat Our Defenses (September 9, 2008) -- Colonies of hospital superbugs can make poisons similar to those found in rattlesnake venom to attack our bodies' natural defenses, according to new research. ... > full story
Hotline To The Cowshed (September 9, 2008) -- A wireless measuring system, consisting of sensors and transmission units, helps to keep livestock healthier with a minimum use of resources. ... > full story
Potential New Threat For Coral Reefs And Health Of Communities In The Tropics (September 9, 2008) -- Human activities bear a large part of the responsibility for coral reef degradation. Several threats hang over this complex ecosystem with its extraordinary biodiversity, whether in the form of anthropogenic effluents emitted at certain times or global warming which causes coral bleaching. ... > full story
South America Holds Treasure Of Copper, Molybdenum, Gold And Silver (September 9, 2008) -- Deposits of undiscovered copper, molybdenum, gold and silver may be present in the Andes Mountains of South America, according to a new scientific assessment. ... > full story
'Smart Water' May Help Boost Production From Oil Wells By 60 Percent (September 9, 2008) -- Researchers in Norway report that injecting a special type of seawater called "smart water" into certain low-yield oil wells may help boost oil extraction by as much as 60 percent. The study could help meet rising energy demands and provide consumers with some financial relief at the gas pump in the future, the scientists suggest. ... > full story
Living Sensor Can Warn Of Arsenic Pollution (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists studying arsenic pollution have discovered a living sensor that can spot contamination. They have also discovered new bacteria that can clean up arsenic spills even in previously untreatable cold areas. ... > full story
2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season Kicking Into High Gear (September 9, 2008) -- For the first time in the 2008 hurricane season, there were four tropical cyclones active in the Atlantic Ocean basin on one day (Sept. 2). September is considered the peak of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, and in the first week of September there were four tropical cyclones that forecasters were watching. ... > full story
How Bacteria Recycle Their Cell Wall: New Insights (September 9, 2008) -- A new paper provides important new insights into the process by which bacteria recycle their cell wall. ... > full story
'Water Bears' Able To Survive Exposure To Vacuum Of Space (September 9, 2008) -- Of all environments, space must be the most hostile: It is freezing cold, close to absolute zero, there is a vacuum, so no oxygen, and the amount of lethal radiation from stars is very high. New research shows that some animals -- the so-called tardigrades or "water bears" -- are able to do away with space suits and can survive exposure to open-space vacuum, cold and radiation. ... > full story
Catching The Blood Cell Bus Gives Fatal Yeast Infection A Clean Getaway (September 9, 2008) -- Yeast fungus cells that kill thousands of AIDS patients every year escape detection by our bodies' defenses by hiding inside our own defense cells, and hitch a ride through our systems before attacking and spreading. ... > full story
Urbanization Reconfigures Surface Hydrology (September 9, 2008) -- What are the consequences of human-made tinkering with land cover and hydrology on surrounding native desert ecosystems and biodiversity? This question forms the backdrop for a case study published in the journal BioScience, which found that one of the most profound impacts of urbanization is the "reconfiguration of surface hydrology." ... > full story
Childbirth Was Already Difficult For Neanderthals (September 9, 2008) -- Neanderthals had a brain at birth of a similar size to that of modern-day babies. However, after birth, their brain grew more quickly than it does for Homo sapiens and became larger too. Nevertheless, the individual lifespan ran just as slowly as it does for modern human beings. ... > full story
Birds' Harmonious Duets Can Be 'Aggressive Audio Warfare,' Study Finds (September 9, 2008) -- Researchers have new insight into the motivating factors that drive breeding pairs of some tropical bird species to sing duets. Those duets can be so closely matched that human listeners often mistake them for solos. ... > full story
As Andean Glacier Retreats, Tiny Lifeforms Swiftly Move In (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants. The discovery is the first to reveal how microbial life becomes established and flourishes in one of the most extreme environments on Earth and has implications for how life may have once flourished on Mars. ... > full story
Milk May Help Bacteria Survive Against Low Levels Of Antibiotics (September 9, 2008) -- Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals. ... > full story
Ecologists Search For Invasive Ladybird’s Weak Spot (September 9, 2008) -- Ecologists have discovered that -- as well as being larger, hungrier and more aggressive than most British native ladybirds -- the invasive alien harlequin ladybird is also more resistant to fungal disease and a parasitic wasp, two common natural enemies of native ladybirds. ... > full story
US Air Force Technology Helps Scientists Understand Plant Root Function (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a non-invasive technique that uses thermal neutron attenuation to measure spatial and temporal distribution of water in soils. The study focuses on the McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center in Sacramento, Calif., developed by the US Air Force. ... > full story
Shifting Earth Near Closed Mines: Ground In Dutch Province Rising Faster Than Expected (September 9, 2008) -- The ground in the Dutch province of South-Limburg is not as stable as had been thought. Satellite observations have shown greater localized rises than expected. Newly-developed technology has also enabled improved charting of ground subsidence in the provinces of Groningen and North-Holland. The satellites measure ground shifts down to the last millimeter. ... > full story
Scientists Develop Model To Map Continental Margins (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new exploration method to assist the oil and gas industry in identifying more precisely where the oceans and continents meet. ... > full story
Marijuana Ingredients Show Promise In Battling Superbugs (September 8, 2008) -- Substances in marijuana show promise for fighting deadly drug-resistant bacterial infections, including so-called "superbugs," without causing the drug's mood-altering effects, scientists in Italy and the United Kingdom are reporting. ... > full story
Structure Of Key Epigenetics Component Identified (September 8, 2008) -- Scientists from the Structural Genomics Consortium have determined the 3-D structure of a key protein component involved in enabling "epigenetic code" to be copied accurately from cell to cell. The research not only represents an advance for the epigenetics field, but also an advance for how the science was done. ... > full story
Alpine Fungi Collected In Beartooth Mountains Of Montana (September 8, 2008) -- Some of the world's top experts on fungi recently collected fungi and mushrooms above tree line in the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Mont. ... > full story
Unexplored Arctic Region To Be Mapped (September 8, 2008) -- A scientific expedition this fall will map the unexplored Arctic seafloor where the US and Canada may have sovereign rights over natural resources such as oil and gas and control over activities such as mining. Both countries will use the resulting data to establish the outer limits of the continental shelf, according to the criteria set out in the Convention on the Law of the Sea. ... > full story
Can Science Improve Man's Best Friend? (September 8, 2008) -- While animal buyers often look closely at physical characteristics, behavioral traits can make the difference between a dog becoming a much loved and pampered family member, or a mistreated or neglected unwanted animal. Science and breeding can be used to produce dogs that have characteristics desired by average dog owners and are well suited to the domestic environment. ... > full story
New Rules Needed To Govern World's Fragile Polar Regions (September 8, 2008) -- Consideration of international law and policy issues in polar regions is urgently needed as climate change opens the Arctic Ocean to shipping, fishing, and other resource exploitation, and as growing numbers of bioprospectors, researchers and tourists flock to Antarctica, all with potentially serious environmental consequences in these highly fragile ecosystems. ... > full story
New Stem Cell Screening Tool Takes Adult Stem Cell Research To New Level (September 8, 2008) -- A bioinformatic system takes adult stem cell research to a new level. Rather than using stem cells from embryonic sources, which opens difficult ethical and complicated scientific issues, scientists have been looking to adult human stem cells, culled from a person's own body. Adult stem cells are now being cultivated from various tissues in the body -- from skin, bones and even wisdom teeth. ... > full story
Changes In Urine Could Lead To BSE Test For Live Animals (September 8, 2008) -- Researchers have demonstrated that protein levels in urine samples can indicate both the presence and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy disease in cattle. The scientists hope that their discovery might lead to the development of a urine-based test that could prevent the precautionary slaughter of many animals as now occurs when the disease is detected. ... > full story
Functional Food – Delicious And Healthy (September 8, 2008) -- Linseed is said to protect against cancer – but not everybody likes the taste. Researchers have now isolated the valuable components of the flax seeds. Incorporated in bread, cakes or dressings, they support the human organism without leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. ... > full story
Smoke Smudges Mexico City's Air, Chemists Identify Sources (September 8, 2008) -- Mexico City once topped lists of places with the worst air pollution in the world. Although efforts to curb emissions have improved the situation, tiny particles called aerosols still clog the air. Now, atmospheric scientists have sorted through the pall that hangs over the city to precisely identify aerosols that make up the haze and chart daily patterns of changes to the mix. ... > full story
Role Of Aerosols In Climate Change Examined (September 8, 2008) -- It appears that aerosol effects on clouds can induce large changes in precipitation patterns, which in turn may change not only regional water resources, but also may change the regional and global circulation systems that constitute the Earth's climate. A group of scientists have proposed a new framework to account more accurately for the effects of aerosols on precipitation in climate models. ... > full story
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