ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, September 25, 2008
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Essential Gene For Forming Ears Of Corn Discovered (September 25, 2008) -- Plant geneticists have identified a gene called sparse inflorescence1, or spi1, that is essential in controlling development of the maize plant. It is involved in the synthesis of the growth hormone auxin, which among other things helps to shape structures such as leaves or the female organs (ears) and male organs (tassels) of corn. ... > full story
Genome Of One Of World's Most Common And Destructive Plant Parasites Sequenced (September 25, 2008) -- Scientists have completed the genome sequence and genetic map of one of the world's most common and destructive plant parasites -- Meloidogyne hapla, a microscopic, soil-dwelling worm known more commonly as the northern root-knot nematode. ... > full story
World’s Largest Tsunami Debris Discovered (September 25, 2008) -- A line of massive boulders on the western shore of Tonga may be evidence of the most powerful volcano-triggered tsunami found to date. Up to 9 meters (30 feet) high and weighing up to 1.6 million kilograms (3.5 million pounds), the seven coral boulders are located 100 to 400 meters (300 to 1,300 feet) from the coast. ... > full story
Old Growth Forest Must No Longer Be Ignored In Carbon Balances (September 25, 2008) -- Ancient forests, which accumulate large quantities of carbon over the centuries, should be taken into account in global carbon balance assessments. However, such old growth forests were not included in the Kyoto protocol. ... > full story
European Research Effort Tackles Dangerous Mould (September 24, 2008) -- Ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus poses an increasing threat to patients with compromised immune systems. The European Science Foundation has launched a new Research Networking Programme, FUMINOMICS, to study the basic genetic and molecular mechanisms employed by the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus when infecting host cells. ... > full story
What Is The Best Strategy For Treating Helicobacter Pylori? (September 24, 2008) -- The best treatment for Helicobacter pylori is not yet established. The organism is becoming resistant to some of the treatments. This study compared the standard three drug treatment with a four drug treatment in a rural hospital in UK. They concluded that four drugs remain the best option for white Caucasians in rural UK, except for some the side effects. ... > full story
Lack Of Large-scale Experiments Slows Progress Of Environmental Restoration (September 24, 2008) -- A new study finds that environmental restoration research using large experimental tests has been limited. The study maintains that for restoration to progress as a science and a practice, more research should be done on whole ecosystems with large experiments. ... > full story
Formula Discovered For Longer Plant Life (September 24, 2008) -- Molecular biologists have discovered how the growth of leaves and the aging process of plants are coordinated. ... > full story
New Life For Middle English: Norwegian Detective Work Gives New Knowledge Of The English Language (September 24, 2008) -- After several years of detective work, philologists have collected a unique collection of texts online. Now they're about to start the most comprehensive analysis of middle English ever. ... > full story
Deep Interior Of Neptune, Uranus And Earth May Contain Some Solid Ice (September 24, 2008) -- The deep interior of Neptune, Uranus and Earth may contain some solid ice. ... > full story
Plant Antioxidant May Protect Against Radiation Exposure (September 24, 2008) -- Resveratrol, the natural antioxidant commonly found in red wine and many plants, may offer protection against radiation exposure, according to a new study. When altered with acetyl, resveratrol administered before radiation exposure proved to protect cells from radiation in mouse models. ... > full story
Flooding Might Help Lower Gas Emission From Wetlands (September 24, 2008) -- River floods and storms that send water surging through swamps and marshes near rivers and coastal areas might cut in half the average greenhouse gas emissions from those affected wetlands, according to recent research. A study suggests that pulses of water through wetlands result in lower average emissions of greenhouse gases over the course of the year compared to the emissions from wetlands that receive a steady flow of water. ... > full story
Honeybee Venom Toxin Used To Develop New Tool For Studying Hypertension (September 24, 2008) -- Researchers have modified a honeybee venom toxin so that it can be used as a tool to study the inner workings of ion channels that control heart rate and the recycling of salt in kidneys. ... > full story
New Vaccine Element Could Generate Better Protection From Avian Influenza (September 24, 2008) -- Current vaccines for influenza provide protection against specific seasonal influenza A strains and their close relatives, but not against more distant seasonal influenza A viruses and new avian influenza A viruses, such as H5N1, which still poses a real global health concern. However, new data have been generated that suggest adding a new component to vaccines for influenza might enable them to confer protection against a broader range of avian and seasonal influenza A viruses. ... > full story
Proposed Extraction Process May Have Economic, Environmental Benefits (September 24, 2008) -- A researcher from the University of Alberta has proposed an experimental electrical heating process to draw oil from largely untapped deposits, which could yield major rewards for oil production and be more environmentally sound than current extractions processes. ... > full story
Coating Copies Microscopic Biological Surfaces (September 24, 2008) -- Someday, your car might have the metallic finish of some insects or the deep black of a butterfly's wing, and the reflectors might be patterned on the nanostructure of a fly's eyes, according to researchers who have developed a method to rapidly and inexpensively copy biological surface structures. ... > full story
Calorie-free Natural Sweetener Moves One Step Closer To Use In U. S. (September 24, 2008) -- Researchers are reporting an advance toward the possible use of a new natural non-caloric sweetener in soft drinks and other food products in the United States. Stevia, which is 300 times more potent than sugar but calorie-free, is already used in some countries as a food and beverage additive to help fight obesity and diabetes. ... > full story
Dark Chocolate: Half A Bar Per Week May Keep Heart Attack Risk At Bay (September 24, 2008) -- Good news for chocolate lovers: 6.7 grams of chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease. ... > full story
Iberian Peninsula’s Earliest Agricultural Systems Were Unsustainable (September 24, 2008) -- Researchers in Spain have found that the first agricultural systems on the Iberian Peninsula became ever more unsustainable with the passage of time. Their study involved the analysis of fossilised grains of wheat and barley from Los Castillejos (Granada), an area of archaeological remains where cereals were cultivated between 4000 and 2500 BCE. ... > full story
Overcoming Barriers To The Introduction Of Alternative Fuels In Europe (September 24, 2008) -- Many groups are promoting the use of alternative fuels in the transport sector. Nevertheless, there are many obstacles that arise with any serious intention to make alternative fuels increase their market share; with cost, performance, and reliability being the key factors for the economical success of alternative fuels in road transport. ... > full story
Secret Ingredients Behind Germinated Rice (September 24, 2008) -- Researchers have identified the active compounds that contribute to the health benefits of pre-germinated brown rice: a related set of sterol-like molecules known as acylated steryl-beta-glucosides. ... > full story
GPS Navigation Devices Can Be Spoofed, Counter Measures Not Effective In Certain Cases (September 23, 2008) -- Just like flat-screen televisions, cell phones and computers, global positioning system technology is becoming something people can't imagine living without. So if such a ubiquitous system were to come under attack, would we be ready? ... > full story
Primordial Fish Had Rudimentary Fingers (September 23, 2008) -- Tetrapods, the first four-legged land animals, are regarded as the first organisms that had fingers and toes. Now researchers can show that this is wrong. Using medical x-rays, they found rudiments of fingers in the fins in fossil Panderichthys, the "transitional animal," which indicates that rudimentary fingers developed considerably earlier than was previously thought. ... > full story
Indian Spice In Turmeric Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke (September 23, 2008) -- You might want to make curcumin part of your daily diet. This active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke, say Medical College of Georgia researchers. ... > full story
Is That Song Sexy Or Just So-so? (September 23, 2008) -- Why is your mate's rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" cute and sexy sometimes and so annoying at other times? A songbird study sheds new light on this question, showing that a change in hormone levels may alter the way we perceive social cues by altering a system of brain nuclei, common to all vertebrates, called the "social behavior network." ... > full story
Preventing Forest Fires With Tree Power: Sensor System Runs On Electricity Generated By Trees (September 23, 2008) -- Researchers are working to find out whether energy from trees can power a network of sensors to prevent spreading forest fires. ... > full story
'Redesigned Hammer' That Forged Evolution Of Pregnancy In Mammals Found (September 23, 2008) -- Researchers have shown that the origin and evolution of the placenta and uterus in mammals is associated with evolutionary changes in a single regulatory protein, according to new report. ... > full story
Abrupt Climate Change Focus Of U.S. National Laboratories (September 23, 2008) -- Abrupt climate change is the focus of IMPACTS, a major new program bringing together six US Department of Energy national laboratories to investigate the instability of marine ice sheets, warming of the boreal forests and Arctic, megadroughts in the Southwestern United States, and methane release from frozen hydrates. ... > full story
Neighbors From Hell: Infanticide Rife In Guillemot Colony (September 23, 2008) -- One of Britain's best-known species of seabird is increasingly attacking and killing unattended chicks from neighboring nests due to food shortages. ... > full story
Deactivating Radioactive Waste In Hundreds, Not Millions, Of Years (September 23, 2008) -- It may be possible to dramatically reduce the radioactive waste isolation time -- from several million years to as little as 300 - 500 years. In order to decrease the isolation time for radioactive waste, first of all, the actinides - elements whose nuclei are heavier than uranium (i.e. curium, actinium) - must be removed from the waste by processing (transmutation) into short-lived nuclei. ... > full story
Modest Carbon Dioxide Cutbacks May Be Too Little, Too Late For Coral Reefs (September 23, 2008) -- How much carbon dioxide is too much? According to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere need to be stabilized at levels low enough to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system." But scientists have come to realize that an even more acute danger than climate change is lurking in the world's oceans -- one that is likely to be triggered by CO2 levels that are modest by climate standards. ... > full story
Solution To Global Fisheries Collapse? 'Catch Shares' Could Rescue Failing Fisheries, Protect The Ocean (September 22, 2008) -- A new study shows that an innovative yet contentious fisheries management strategy called "catch shares" can reverse fisheries collapse. Where traditional "open access" fisheries have converted to catch shares, both fishermen and the oceans have benefited. Catch shares guarantee each shareholder a fixed portion of a fishery's total allowable catch. Each share becomes more valuable when the fish population -- and thus the total allowable catch -- increases. ... > full story
Site Used By Sodium To Control Sensitivity Of Certain Potassium Ion Channels (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have uncovered how sodium is able to control specific potassium ion channels in cells, according to new study findings published online in Nature Chemical Biology. ... > full story
New Pacific Iguana Discovered In Fiji (September 22, 2008) -- A new iguana has been discovered in the central regions of Fiji. The colorful new species, named Brachylophus bulabula, joins only two other living Pacific iguana species, one of which is critically endangered. ... > full story
Gene Linked To Common Ailment In Labrador Retrievers Identified (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a gene in Labrador retriever dogs highly associated with the syndrome of exercise-induced collapse. ... > full story
Walnut Trees Emit Aspirin-like Chemical To Deal With Stress (September 22, 2008) -- Walnut trees respond to stress by producing significant amounts of a chemical form of aspirin, scientists have discovered. ... > full story
'Friendly' Bacteria Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes, Researchers Find (September 22, 2008) -- In a dramatic illustration of the potential for microbes to prevent disease, researchers at have shown that mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of type I diabetes. ... > full story
Genetic Link Between Immune And Nerve Systems Found (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered genetic links between the nervous system and the immune system in a well-studied worm, and the findings could illuminate new approaches to human therapies. ... > full story
Cancer-causing Gut Bacteria Exposed (September 22, 2008) -- Normal gut bacteria are thought to be involved in colon cancer but the exact mechanisms have remained unknown. Now, scientists have discovered that a molecule produced by a common gut bacterium activates signalling pathways that are associated with cancer cells. The research, published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, sheds light on the way gut bacteria can cause colon cancer. ... > full story
Conservation Program In Rwanda Helps Turn Gorilla Poachers Into Ecotourism Guides (September 22, 2008) -- Conservationists at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, are celebrating a double achievement – the success of a conservation program in Rwanda that has helped turn gorilla poachers into ecotourism guides, and a major international award for the program’s founder, alumnus Edwin Sabuhoro. ... > full story
Self-steering Vehicle Designed To Mimic Movements Of Ants (September 22, 2008) -- A team of engineers in the Canary Islands has designed the “Verdino”, a self-steering vehicle that can sense the road surface using a technique called Ant Colony Optimisation. This method is based on the behaviour used by ants to find the shortest way between their ant hill and sources of food. ... > full story
Nematode Genome Provides Insight Into Evolution Of Parasitism (September 22, 2008) -- Molecular biologists have decoded the genome of the Pristionchus pacificus nematode, thereby gaining insight into the evolution of parasitism. They have shown that the genome of the nematode consists of a surprisingly large number of genes, some of which have unexpected functions. ... > full story
Long-term Global Food Crisis Looms: Experts Urge Immediate Action (September 22, 2008) -- Declining agricultural productivity and continued growing demand have brought the world food situation to a crossroads. Failure to act now through a wholesale reinvestment in agriculture -- including research into improved technologies, infrastructure development, and training and education of agricultural scientists and trainers -- could lead to a long-term crisis that makes the price spikes of 2008 seem a mere blip. ... > full story
Climate Change, Human Activity And Wildfires (September 22, 2008) -- Climate has been implicated by a new study as a major driver of wildfires in the last 2,000 years. But human activities, such as land clearance and fire suppression during the industrial era (since 1750) have created large swings in burning, first increasing fires until the late 1800s, and then dramatically reducing burning in the 20th century. ... > full story
Project To Turn Plant Cells Into Medical Factories (September 22, 2008) -- A large four-year project is launching in Europe to develop methods for production of valuable pharmaceutical compounds using plant cells as a production host in an effective and controlled manner. The methods based on plant biotechnology are an alternative to chemical synthesis. By controlling the cell metabolism of a 'green factory', i.e. a living plant cell, it is possible to affect the production of desired high-value compounds. This kind of metabolic engineering also stimulates the cells towards producing completely new compounds. ... > full story
Using Novel Tool, Researchers Dig Through Cell 'Trash' And Find Treasure (September 22, 2008) -- A person's trash can reveal valuable information, as detectives, historians and identity thieves well know. Likewise, a cell's "trash" may yield certain treasures, researchers have found. Using a new technique, scientists have analyzed the cellular waste of one of the world's most-studied plants and discovered formerly hidden relationships between genes and the small molecules that can turn them off. ... > full story
Global Warming's Ecosystem Double Whammy (September 21, 2008) -- Plants and soils act like sponges for atmospheric carbon dioxide, but new research on the cover of this week's Nature finds that one abnormally warm year can suppress the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by some grassland ecosystems for up to two years. The findings followed a four-year study of 12-ton containerized grassland plots at Nevada's Desert Research Institute. Plots were extracted intact from the Oklahoma prairie and sealed inside four, living-room-sized environment chambers. ... > full story
Marine Debris Will Likely Worsen In The 21st Century (September 21, 2008) -- Current measures to prevent and reduce marine debris are inadequate, and the problem will likely worsen, says a new congressionally mandated report. ... > full story
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