ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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New Mechanism To Produce Energy From Biomass (September 17, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a system that can improve the efficiency of the conversion process of biomass to fuel gas that will contribute to the production of energy in a more sustainable manner. ... > full story
New Clues To Oxygen At The Origin Of The Solar System (September 17, 2008) -- Oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth, accounting for almost half the planet's mass. Of its three stable isotopes, oxygen 16 makes up 99.762 percent of oxygen on Earth, while heavier oxygen 17 accounts for just 0.038 percent, and the heaviest isotope, oxygen 18, makes up 0.2 percent. Yet minerals in some of the most primitive objects in the solar system, including the meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites, have quite different ratios of oxygen isotopes than on Earth; presumably the rare heavy isotopes occurred in much greater abundances in the early solar system. ... > full story
Moderate Quantities Of Dirt Make More Rain (September 17, 2008) -- Drought or deluge? Scientists have now discovered how aerosols affect the when, where and how much of rainfall. ... > full story
Bovine Colostrum And Fermented Cabbage Can Help Restrict Infections (September 17, 2008) -- Antibodies extracted from bovine colostrum as well as lactobacilli extracted from fermented cabbage and other sources prevent the action of pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. ... > full story
Drinking Chamomile Tea May Help Fight Complications Of Diabetes (September 16, 2008) -- Drinking chamomile tea daily with meals may help prevent the complications of diabetes, which include loss of vision, nerve damage, and kidney damage, researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom are reporting. ... > full story
Biological Selenium Removal: Solution To Pollution? (September 16, 2008) -- Unsafe levels of selenium, sometimes referred to as an "essential toxin," can be reduced by a microbiological treatment. With this method, microorganisms reduce selenate to the less-toxic elemental selenium, which can potentially be recovered from the process. An estimated 0.5 to 1 billion people worldwide suffer from selenium deficiency, even though many live near areas where levels of selenium have reached toxic levels. ... > full story
Photosynthesizing Bacteria With A Day-night Cycle Contain Rare Chromosome (September 16, 2008) -- Researchers sequencing the DNA of the blue-green algae Cyanothece 51142 found a linear chromosome harboring genes important for producing biofuels. Simultaneously analyzing the complement of proteins revealed more genes on the linear and typical circular chromosomes then they'd have found with DNA sequencing alone. ... > full story
Water Purification Down The Nanotubes: Could Nanotechnology Solve The Water Crisis? (September 16, 2008) -- Nanotechnology could be the answer to ensuring a safe supply of drinking water for regions of the world stricken by periodic drought or where water contamination is rife. Writing in the International Journal of Nuclear Desalination, researchers in India explain how carbon nanotubes could replace conventional materials in water-purification systems. ... > full story
New Rechargeable Lithium Batteries Could Jump-start Hybrid Electric Car Efficiency (September 16, 2008) -- Researchers are helping to develop new rechargeable batteries that could improve hybrid electric cars in the future. For hybrid cars, new materials are crucial to make the batteries lighter, safer and more efficient in storing energy. ... > full story
Fuel Emissions From Marine Vessels Remain A Global Concern (September 16, 2008) -- The forecast for clear skies and smooth sailing for oceanic vessels has been impeded by worldwide concerns of their significant contributions to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that impact the Earth's climate. ... > full story
New Ant Species Discovered In The Amazon Likely Represents Oldest Living Lineage Of Ants (September 16, 2008) -- A new species of blind, subterranean, predatory ant discovered in the Amazon rainforest is likely a descendant of the very first ants to evolve. ... > full story
Automated System Provides Early Warning Of Natural Disasters (September 16, 2008) -- When disaster threatens, the first hours are crucial. Researchers have developed an automated system to provide early detection, forecasting, and warning of natural disasters such as floods and wildfires. ... > full story
Arctic Sea Ice At Lowest Recorded Level Ever (September 16, 2008) -- Arctic sea ice may well have reached its lowest volumes ever, as summer ice coverage of the Arctic Sea looks set to be close to last year's record lows, with thinner ice overall. Final figures on minimum ice coverage for 2008 are expected in a matter of days, but they are already flirting with last year's record low of 1.59 million square miles, or 4.13 million square kilometers. ... > full story
Slicing Solar Power Costs: New Method Cuts Waste In Making Most Efficient Solar Cells (September 16, 2008) -- Engineers have devised a new way to slice thin wafers of the chemical element germanium for use in the most efficient type of solar power cells. They say the new method should lower the cost of such cells by reducing the waste and breakage of the brittle semiconductor. ... > full story
Purifying Parasites From Host Cells With Light (September 16, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a clever method to purify parasitic organisms from their host cells, which will allow for more detailed studies and a deeper insight into the biology of organisms that cause millions of cases of disease each year. ... > full story
New Geomorphological Index Created For Studying Active Tectonics Of Mountains (September 16, 2008) -- To build a hospital, nuclear power station or a large dam you need to know the possible earthquake risks of the terrain. Now, researchers from the Universities of Granada and Jaen, alongside scientists from the University of California (Santa Barbara, USA), have developed, based on relief data from the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada, a geomorphological index that analyses land form in relation to active tectonics, applicable to any mountain chain on the planet. ... > full story
Economic Value Of Insect Pollination Worldwide Estimated At U.S. 7 Billion (September 15, 2008) -- Scientist has determined that the worldwide economic value of the pollination service provided by insect pollinators, bees mainly, is €153 billion in 2005 for the main crops that feed the world. This figure amounted to 9.5 percent of the total value of the world agricultural food production. The study also determined that pollinator disappearance would translate into a consumer surplus loss estimated between €190 to €310 billion. ... > full story
Viruses Collectively Decide Bacterial Cell's Fate (September 15, 2008) -- A new study suggests that bacteria-infecting viruses -- called phages -- can make collective decisions about whether to kill host cells immediately after infection or enter a latent state to remain within the host cell. The research shows that when multiple viruses infect a cell, the overall level of viral gene expression increases, which has a dramatic nonlinear effect on gene networks that control cell fate. ... > full story
Ice Core Studies Confirm Accuracy Of Climate Models (September 15, 2008) -- An analysis has been completed of the global carbon cycle and climate for a 70,000 year period in the most recent Ice Age, showing a remarkable correlation between carbon dioxide levels and surprisingly abrupt changes in climate. ... > full story
Nanoscale Silver: No Silver Lining? (September 15, 2008) -- Widespread use of nanoscale silver will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, highlighting the need to identify research priorities concerning this emerging technology, according to a new report. ... > full story
Faster, Cheaper Way Of Analyzing The Human Genome Developed (September 15, 2008) -- A faster and less expensive way for scientists to find which genes might affect human health has been developed. Using barcodes, not unlike what shoppers find in grocery stores, researchers found a way to index portions of the nearly 3-billion-base human genetic code, making it easier for scientists to zero in on the regions most likely to show variations in genetic traits. ... > full story
Scientists Point To Forests For Carbon Storage Solutions (September 15, 2008) -- Scientists who have determined how much carbon is stored annually in upper Midwest forests hope their findings will be used to accelerate global discussion about the strategy of managing forests to offset greenhouse gas emissions. In an era of competing land use demands, the researchers argue that forests help stabilize the climate and are abundant sources of other ecological goods and services -- such as cleansed air, fertile soil and filtered water. ... > full story
Hotline To The Cowshed (September 15, 2008) -- A wireless measuring system, consisting of sensors and transmission units, helps to keep livestock healthier with a minimum use of resources. ... > full story
How Corals Adapt To Day And Night (September 15, 2008) -- Researchers have uncovered a gene in corals that responds to day/night cycles, which provides some tantalizing clues into how symbiotic corals work together with their plankton partners. ... > full story
New Pathway For Malaria Infection Discovered (September 15, 2008) -- Scientists are describing the discovery and in vivo validation of scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI), a major regulator of cholesterol uptake by the liver, as a critical host factor for malaria infection. The new research findings are the first to describe a molecular link between cholesterol metabolism and malaria infection, and the new data could lead to new approaches for the treatment of malaria including use of RNAi therapeutics. ... > full story
Saltwater Solution To Save Crops (September 15, 2008) -- Technology under development could offer new hope to farmers in drought-affected and marginal areas by enabling crops to grow using salty groundwater. ... > full story
Giant Honeybees Use Shimmering 'Mexican Waves' To Repel Predatory Wasps (September 15, 2008) -- Researchers report the finding that shimmering -- a remarkable capacity of rapid communication in giant honeybees -- acts as a defensive mechanism, which repels predatory hornets, forcing them to hunt free-flying bees, further afield, rather than foraging bees directly from the honeybee nest. ... > full story
Zebra Finches Vary Immune Response According To Age, Sex And Costs (September 15, 2008) -- Individual zebra finches vary their immune response to balance the costs, depending on sex, age and the environment. When changing from nest-bound juveniles to adults, female immune responses matured slowly while males who were molting into colorful plumage showed dramatic variation. Adult males showed little variation. When females laid eggs with high-quality resources, immune responses similar to nonbreeding females and for males. However, when laying eggs on reduced resources, females reduced their immune response. ... > full story
Viability Of Hydrogen Transportation Markets: Chicken Or Egg? (September 15, 2008) -- Hydrogen may well be the new gasoline. But where's the nearest "gas" station where you can pull up and refuel your energy-efficient vehicle? Will hydrogen stations be strategically convenient -- located on street corners and travel-stop locations around the globe? In a new study, RIT professor James Winebrake and Patrick Meyer consider the number of barriers to overcome before the hydrogen-fuel infrastructure becomes efficient, affordable and publicly accepted. ... > full story
Seeing Through The Skin: Optic-less Imaging Technology Could Beat Lens-based Imaging Devices (September 14, 2008) -- Feeling blue? According one researcher, humans may have an ability to “see” colors and shapes with their skin. His optic-less imaging model could lead to a new form of optical imaging technology that beats the limitations of today’s lens-based imaging devices, and it may also explain how this controversial primordial instinct might have evolved over millions of years. ... > full story
Old Growth Forests Are Valuable Carbon Sinks (September 14, 2008) -- Contrary to 40 years of conventional wisdom, a new analysis suggests that old growth forests are usually "carbon sinks" -- they continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate climate change for centuries. ... > full story
Photos Reveal Myanmar's Large And Small Predators (September 14, 2008) -- Using remote camera traps to lift the veil on Myanmar's dense northern wild lands, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society have painstakingly gathered a bank of valuable data on the country's populations of tigers and other smaller, lesser known carnivores (see photo attachments). These findings will help in the formulation of conservation strategies for the country's wildlife. ... > full story
Photo Reveals Rare Okapi Survived Poaching Onslaught (September 14, 2008) -- A set of stripy legs in a camera trap photo snapped in an African forest indicates something to cheer about, say researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society. ... > full story
Scientist Uncovers Miscalculation In Geological Undersea Record (September 13, 2008) -- The precise timing of the origin of life on Earth and the changes in life during the past 4.5 billion years has been a subject of great controversy for the past century. The principal indicator of the amount of organic carbon produced by biological activity traditionally used is the ratio of the less abundant isotope of carbon, 13C, to the more abundant isotope, 12C. A new study challenges how geologists interpret variations in the 13C/12C ratio throughout Earth's history. ... > full story
Mad Cow Disease Also Caused By Genetic Mutation (September 13, 2008) -- New findings about the causes of mad cow disease show that sometimes it may be genetic. Until several years ago, it was thought that the cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- also called BSE or mad cow disease -- was a foodborne disease. ... > full story
Color-coded Bacteria Can Spot Oil Spills Or Leaky Pipes And Storage Tanks (September 13, 2008) -- Oil spills and other environmental pollution, including low level leaks from underground pipes and storage tanks, could be quickly and easily spotted in the future using color-coded bacteria, scientists report. ... > full story
DNA 'Tattoos' Link Adult, Daughter Stem Cells In Planarians (September 13, 2008) -- Using the molecular equivalent of a tattoo on DNA that adult stem cells pass to their "daughter" cells in combination with gene expression profiles, researchers have identified two early steps in adult stem cell differentiation -- the process that determines whether cells will form muscle, neurons, skin, etc., in people and animals. ... > full story
Tracking Down The Menace In Mexico City Smog (September 13, 2008) -- Chemical scientists have shown that, bad as the traffic is, the most harmful air pollution in Mexico City may not come from burning fossil fuels. Instead the culprit may be garbage incineration. ... > full story
Curbing Coal Emissions Alone Might Avert Climate Danger, Say Researchers (September 13, 2008) -- An ongoing rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels might be kept below harmful levels if emissions from coal are phased out within the next few decades, say researchers. They say that less plentiful oil and gas should be used sparingly as well, but that far greater supplies of coal mean that it must be the main target of reductions. ... > full story
Computational Biochemist Uncovers A Molecular Clue To Evolution (September 13, 2008) -- A Florida State University researcher who uses high-powered computers to map the workings of proteins has uncovered a mechanism that gives scientists a better understanding of how evolution occurs at the molecular level. ... > full story
Math Model Helps Unravel Relationship Between Nutrients And Biodiversity (September 13, 2008) -- The level of nutrients in soil determines how many different kinds of plants and trees can thrive in an ecosystem, according to new research published by biologists and mathematicians in Nature. ... > full story
Strict Mediterranean Diet Can Help Reduce Deaths From Major Chronic Diseases (September 12, 2008) -- Sticking to a full Mediterranean diet provides substantial protection against major chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Genetically Engineered Thermophilic Bacterium: Researchers Advance Cellulosic Ethanol Production (September 12, 2008) -- A team of researchers have made a discovery that is important for producing large quantities of cellulosic ethanol, a leading candidate for a sustainable and secure alternative to petroleum-derived transportation fuel. For the first time, the group has genetically engineered a thermophilic bacterium, meaning it's able to grow at high temperatures, and this new microorganism makes ethanol as the only product of its fermentation. ... > full story
My, What Big Teeth You Had! Extinct Species Had Huge Teeth On Roof Of Mouth (September 12, 2008) -- Paleontologists have found a previously unknown amphibious predator that probably made the Antarctica of 240 million years ago something less than a hospitable place. ... > full story
Male-specific Neurons Directly Linked To Gender-specific Behaviors (September 12, 2008) -- New research identifies a few critical neurons that initiate sex-specific behaviors in fruit flies and, when masculinized, can elicit male-typical courtship behaviors from females. The study demonstrates a direct link between sexual dimorphism in the brain and gender differences in behavior. ... > full story
Hurricane Ike Impact Felt In Space (September 12, 2008) -- Hurricane Ike has delayed the scheduled Friday arrival of a Russian Progress cargo ship at the International Space Station 220 miles above Earth. ... > full story
Food Soil Stuck To Surfaces Can Hold Bacteria In Food Processing Factories (September 12, 2008) -- Tiny amounts of food soil stuck to surfaces can act as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic bacteria. This food may help bacteria to survive industrial cleaning regimes in food processing factories, scientists report. ... > full story
Good Luck, Not Superiority, Gave Dinosaurs Their Edge, Study Of Crocodile Cousins Reveals (September 12, 2008) -- Researchers have challenged the general consensus among scientists that there must have been something special about dinosaurs that helped them rise to prominence. Good luck, not general 'superiority,' was the primary factor in the rise of the dinosaurs according to new research. ... > full story
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