ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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Amphibian Diversity Decreases Chances Of Parasitic Disease, Study Shows (October 22, 2008) -- A new study showing that American toads who pal around with gray tree frogs reduce their chances of parasitic infections known to cause limb malformations has strong implications for the benefits of biodiversity on emerging wildlife diseases. ... > full story
Fitness In A Changing World: Genetics And Adaptations Of Alaskan Stickleback Fish (October 22, 2008) -- The stickleback fish, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is one of the most thoroughly studied organisms in the wild, and has been a particularly useful model for understanding variation in physiology, behavior, life history and morphology caused by different ecological situations in the wild. ... > full story
Out Of Mesopotamia: Evolutionary History Of Tuberculosis (October 22, 2008) -- The evolutionary timing and spread of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), one of the most successful groups of bacterial pathogens, remains largely unknown. Using mycobacterial tandem repeat sequences as genetic markers, scientists show that the MTBC consists of two independent clades, one composed exclusively of M. tuberculosis lineages from humans and the other composed of both animal and human isolates. ... > full story
Pandemic Flu Models Help Determine Food Distribution And School Closing Strategies (October 22, 2008) -- Pandemic flu models can help organizations improve their food distribution and school closing strategies in the event of such an emergency. The models are flexible so that multiple scenarios can be investigated to see which options meet an organization's specific goal. ... > full story
New Hope For The Red Squirrel (October 22, 2008) -- Study says free-living red squirrels are mounting an immune response to the squirrelpox viral disease. ... > full story
Squeezing More Synthetic Fuel From Abundant Supplies Of Coal (October 21, 2008) -- Scientists in Italy are reporting that a new process could eliminate key obstacles to expanded use of coal gasification to transform that abundant domestic energy resource into synthetic liquid fuels for cars and trucks. ... > full story
Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Governor's Palace In Turkey (October 21, 2008) -- Archaeologists have unearthed parts of a Neo-Assyrian governor's palace dating back to the 9th to 7th century BCE in an excavation program amongst the ruins on Ziyaret Tepe. The discoveries were extraordinary. The site in the south-east of Turkey (Diyarbakir province) is at risk from the construction of the Ilisu Dam. ... > full story
Cleaning Up Iraqi Nuclear Facilities, Radioactive Waste (October 21, 2008) -- Sandia scientists are helping train Iraqi scientists and technicians to clean up radioactively contaminated sites and safely dispose of the radioactive wastes as part of the Iraqi Nuclear Facility Dismantlement and Disposal Program. ... > full story
Pesticide Concentrations Decreasing (October 21, 2008) -- The use of pesticides in the United States has been widespread for decades, and a new study shows the effects they have had as a contaminant in the nation's groundwater. The researchers took samples from over 300 wells and examined different contaminants that have been used over the years, with encouraging results as to the levels of concentration that the samples have measured. ... > full story
Man's Best Friend Recruited In Hunt For Disease Genes (October 21, 2008) -- For centuries man has had a uniquely close relationship with dogs -- as a working animal, for security and, perhaps most importantly, for companionship. Now, dogs are taking on a new role -- they are helping in the hunt for genetic mutations that lead to diseases in humans. ... > full story
Alternative Fuels May Drain Dwindling Water Supplies (October 21, 2008) -- As the search for new fuels intensifies, researchers in Texas report that switching to certain alternative fuels to power cars, trucks, and SUVs may require the use of much more water than conventional petroleum-based gasoline and diesel. The findings suggest that producing alternative fuels could strain already limited water supplies in some regions of the country. ... > full story
Diatom Genome Helps Explain Success In Trapping Excess Carbon In Oceans (October 21, 2008) -- Diatoms have profound influence on climate, producing 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe by capturing atmospheric carbon and countering the greenhouse effect. These photosynthetic wonders have come to acquire advantageous genes from bacterial, animal and plant ancestors enabling them to thrive in today's oceans. ... > full story
Producing New U.S. Energy Crops By The Barrel (October 21, 2008) -- Scientists have produced oils of camelina, canola, Cuphea, lesquerella, milkweed and pennycress by the barrelful in a commercial-scale pilot plant. ... > full story
Earth In Midst Of Sixth Mass Extinction: 50% Of All Species Disappearing (October 21, 2008) -- The Earth is in the midst of the sixth mass extinction of both plants and animals, with nearly 50 percent of all species disappearing, scientists say. Which plants should be a top priority to conserve? Researchers say the most genetically unique species are the ones that have the greatest importance in an ecosystem. ... > full story
Ripening Bananas Glow An Intense Blue Under Black Light (October 21, 2008) -- Under UV light, ripening bananas appear in a bright blue color, which is is connected to the degradation of chlorophyll. ... > full story
New Study Claims Acne Is Not Associated With Yet-Uncultured Bacteria (October 21, 2008) -- In a new study researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark found bacteria in the follicles of acne patients and healthy individuals to be those of previously known species, disputing the theory that acne is caused by some yet-to-be-identified bacteria. ... > full story
Searching For Rare Ladybugs, With Unusual Spots (October 21, 2008) -- Agricultural Research Service scientists and cooperators are seeking the public's help in surveying for once-common ladybug species that are now hard to find. ... > full story
Designing Wildlife Corridors: Wildlife Need More Complex Travel Plans (October 21, 2008) -- A new study says that people trying to help nature by designing corridors for wildlife need to think more naturally. "Human beings tend to think in terms of regular, symmetrical structures, but nature can be much more irregular," said the lead researcher. ... > full story
Revealing The Evolutionary History Of Threatened Sea Turtles (October 21, 2008) -- New genetic research carried out at the American Museum of Natural History clarifies our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among all seven sea turtle species and shows that specialized diets arose independently. The refined phylogeny has important implications for conservation of these threatened, highly migratory animals. ... > full story
Toxoplasma Parasite's Family Tree Traced (October 21, 2008) -- Scientists are tracing the family tree of Toxoplasma gondii, one of the most widespread parasites of warm-blooded vertebrates. Understanding how T. gondii has evolved and disseminated will help parasitologists and public health officials improve methods for controlling the parasite in humans and animals. ... > full story
Integrating Antiretroviral Therapy With TB Treatment For Co-infections Reduces Mortality By 55% (October 21, 2008) -- A South African treatment study shows that mortality among TB-HIV co-infected patients can be reduced by a remarkable 55 percent, if antiretroviral therapy is provided with TB treatment at the same time. ... > full story
Herbicide-resistant Grape Could Revitalize Midwest Wine Industry (October 21, 2008) -- An herbicide that is effective at killing broadleaf weeds in corn, but also annihilated most of the grapes in Illinois and other Midwestern states, may finally have a worthy contender. Researchers have developed a new grape called Improved Chancellor which is resistant to the popular herbicide 2, 4-D. ... > full story
Less Ice In Arctic Ocean 6000-7000 Years Ago (October 20, 2008) -- Recent mapping of a number of raised beach ridges on the north coast of Greenland suggests that the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean was greatly reduced some 6000-7000 years ago. The Arctic Ocean may have been periodically ice free. ... > full story
City Trash Plus Farm Leftovers May Yield Clean Energy (October 20, 2008) -- Tomorrow's household garbage might be blended with after-harvest leftovers from fields, orchards, and vineyards to make ethanol and other kinds of bioenergy. Scientists are investigating this straightforward, eco-friendly strategy in their laboratories. ... > full story
Protected 'Swimways' Urged For Endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle (October 20, 2008) -- A new resolution urges nations to protect the leatherback sea turtle and sharks from the world's industrial fisheries by identifying and creating marine protected areas along the Pacific leatherback's migratory routes. The routes were based on recent satellite tracking data. 8,000 scientists from 250 nations support the resolution. ... > full story
Forest Peoples' Rights Key To Reducing Emissions From Deforestation (October 20, 2008) -- Unless based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and forest communities, efforts by rich countries to combat climate change by funding reductions in deforestation in developing countries will fail, and could even unleash a devastating wave of forest loss, cultural destruction and civil conflict, warned a leading group of forestry and development experts meeting in Oslo this week. ... > full story
Engineers Build First-ever Multi-input 'Plug-and-play' Synthetic RNA Device (October 20, 2008) -- Engineers have created a "plug-and-play" synthetic RNA device -- a sort of eminently customizable biological computer -- that is capable of taking in and responding to more than one biological or environmental signal at a time. Such devices could have a multitude of potential medical applications, including being used as sensors to sniff out tumor cells or determine when to turn modified genes on or off during cancer therapy. ... > full story
'Junk' DNA May Have Important Role In Gene Regulation (October 20, 2008) -- For about 15 years, scientists have known that certain "junk" DNA -- repetitive DNA segments previously thought to have no function -- could evolve into exons, which are the building blocks for protein-coding genes in higher organisms like animals and plants. Now, there is evidence that a significant number of exons created from junk DNA seem to play a role in gene regulation. The findings increase understanding of how humans differ from other animals. ... > full story
Dinosaur Dance Floor: Numerous Tracks at Jurassic Oasis on Arizona-Utah Border (October 20, 2008) -- Geologists identified an amazing concentration of dinosaur footprints and tail-drag marks that they call "a dinosaur dance floor," located in a wilderness on the Arizona-Utah border where there was a sandy desert oasis 190 million years ago. ... > full story
Ship Strike Reduction Rule Aims To Protect North Atlantic Right Whales (October 20, 2008) -- NOAA officials have issued a regulation that will implement new measures to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales. The regulation will, for the first time, require large ships to reduce speeds to ten knots in areas where the whales feed and reproduce, as well as along migratory routes in between. The goal of the regulation is to reduce the risk of ship collisions with the whales. ... > full story
New Method May Rapidly And Effectively Detect Significant Food-Borne Pathogen (October 20, 2008) -- Researchers from Sweden and Finland have developed a rapid and specific method that may detect the bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica, a common cause of gastric illness, in food. ... > full story
Varying Combinations Of Antiviral Drugs May Effectively Treat Chronic Hepatitis Virus Infection In Woodchucks (October 20, 2008) -- Oral administration of various combined and independent antiviral drug therapies may effectively treat chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in woodchucks, a well-characterized mammalian model for research with human implications, and provide an alternative strategy for managing drug resistance. ... > full story
New Natural Products Act Against Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria (October 20, 2008) -- A group of antibiotic natural products points to a new mode of action against pathogenic bacteria. Isolated from myxobacteria, the substances prevent an enzyme of the pathogens from being able to translate their genetic material. ... > full story
Worms' Nervous System Shown To Alert Immune System (October 20, 2008) -- The nervous system and the immune system have something in common. Each has evolved to react quickly to environmental cues. Because the nervous system is able to detect some of these cues at a distance, it sometimes can sense trouble earlier than the immune system, which has to wait until the pathogen invades the organism. Now, geneticists have shown that, indeed, the two systems talk to one another. ... > full story
Alternative Energy: New Sugarcanes To Deliver One-Two Energy Punch (October 20, 2008) -- New varieties of sugarcane and other crops adapted to the U.S. Gulf Coast region are being developed for use in making ethanol as a cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline. ... > full story
New Fossil Reveals Primates Lingered In Texas (October 20, 2008) -- More than 40 million years ago, primates preferred Texas to northern climates that were significantly cooling, according to new fossil evidence. ... > full story
Bird Flu Vaccine Protects People And Pets (October 20, 2008) -- A single vaccine could be used to protect chickens, cats and humans against deadly flu pandemics, according to a new article published in the Journal of General Virology. The vaccine protects birds and mammals against different flu strains and can even be given to birds while they are still in their eggs, allowing the mass vaccination of wild birds. ... > full story
Finding Hidden Tomb Of Genghis Khan Using Non-Invasive Technologies (October 20, 2008) -- According to legend, Genghis Khan lies buried somewhere beneath the dusty steppe of Northeastern Mongolia, entombed in a spot so secretive that anyone who made the mistake of encountering his funeral procession was executed on the spot. Once he was below ground, his men brought in horses to trample evidence of his grave, and just to be absolutely sure he would never be found, they diverted a river to flow over their leader's final resting place. ... > full story
Genetic Switch Critical For Cell Survival In Hypoxia Identified (October 20, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a critical metabolic "switch" in fruit flies that helps oxygen-deprived cells survive. ... > full story
Mathematicians Put Forward Model For Studying Submarine Avalanches And Tsunamis (October 20, 2008) -- A team of Andalucian and French scientists has put forward a mathematical model that enables submarine avalanches and certain types of tsunamis to be studied using equations, according to a recent article in the Journal of Computational Physics. Mathematicians are already applying the model to analyse landslides on the island of Alborón (Almería). ... > full story
Estimate Soil Texture-by-feel (October 20, 2008) -- A new article details methods of determining a soil's texture by feel, an important skill for students of soil science. Soil texture strongly influences the nutrient holding ability of a soil, the amount of water the soil can store, as well as many other properties. ... > full story
'Water Footprint' Promotes Sustainable And Fair Use Of Water Resources (October 20, 2008) -- Researchers have proposed the concept of a 'water footprint,' which gives a detailed insight into the water consumption of individuals, companies and countries, in an international effort to promote sustainable, fair and efficient use of water on a global scale. ... > full story
Genetic-based Human Diseases Are An Ancient Evolutionary Legacy, Research Suggests (October 19, 2008) -- Evolutionary geneticists reveal that disease genes emerged very early in evolutionary history. They have systematically analyzed the time of emergence for a large number of genes -- genes which can also initiate diseases. ... > full story
Waste From Gut Bacteria Helps Host Control Weight, Researchers Report (October 19, 2008) -- A single molecule in the intestinal wall, activated by the waste products from gut bacteria, plays a large role in controlling whether the host animals are lean or fatty, a research team has found in a mouse study. ... > full story
Warming In Yosemite National Park Sends Small Mammals Packing To Higher, Cooler Elevations (October 19, 2008) -- UC Berkeley's resurvey of animal populations in California's eastern mountains kicked off in 2003 with a resurvey of Yosemite National Park, following the route of Joseph Grinnell in 1914-20. The first results show that small mammals have moved to higher elevations as a result of warming, some expanding their range upward, others moving upward and abandoning lower elevations entirely. Though biodiversity remains unchanged, the rapid rate of change sounds a cautionary note about global warming. ... > full story
Genes Hold Secret Of Survival Of Antarctic 'Antifreeze Fish' (October 19, 2008) -- A genetic study of a fish that lives in the icy waters off Antarctica sheds light on the adaptations that enable it to survive in one of the harshest environments on the planet. ... > full story
Opening A Can Of Worms: Serendipitous Discovery Reveals Earthworms More Diverse Than First Thought (October 19, 2008) -- Scientists have found that the UK's common or garden earthworms are far more diverse than previously thought, a discovery with important consequences for agriculture. Biologists have found that many of the common earthworm species found in gardens and on agricultural land are actually made up of a number of distinct species that may have different roles in food chains and soil structure and ecology. ... > full story
Migratory Moths May Hitch Their Rides, But They're Anything But Drifters (October 19, 2008) -- Night-traveling migratory moths may hitch a ride on the wind, but a new study in Current Biology confirms that they are anything but drifters. ... > full story
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