ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, October 23, 2008
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Cross-protective Vaccine May Treat Broad Spectrum Of Bacterial Diseases (October 23, 2008) -- Doctors have always hoped that scientists might one day create a vaccination that would treat a broad spectrum of maladies. They could only imagine that there might be one vaccine that would protect against, say, 2,500 strains of Salmonella. And what if that same vaccine could help protect the elderly? ... > full story
Chronic Inflammation Can Help Nurture Skin Cancer, Study Shows (October 23, 2008) -- Inflammation, a frontline defense against infection or disease, can help nurture skin cancer, researchers have found. IDO, an enzyme that works like a firefighter to keep inflammation under control, can be commandeered to protect early malignant cells, say researchers studying an animal model of chronic inflammation and skin cancer. ... > full story
Ecosystem-level Consequences Of Frog Extinctions (October 23, 2008) -- Streams that once sang with the croaks, chirps and ribbits of dozens of frog species have gone silent. They're victims of a fungus that's decimating amphibian populations worldwide. Such catastrophic declines have been documented for more than a decade, but until recently scientists knew little about how the loss of frogs alters the larger ecosystem. A new study has found that tadpoles play a key role keeping the algae at the base of the food chain productive. ... > full story
New TB Test Reveals Patients At Risk, Says Study (October 23, 2008) -- A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Around a third of the world's population is infected with the TB bacteria and approximately 9 million new cases of active TB are diagnosed around the world each year, according to World Health Organization estimates. The majority of those infected live in the developing world. ... > full story
Scientists Go Cloud-hopping In The Pacific To Improve Climate Predictions (October 23, 2008) -- A 20-strong -team of cloud and climate experts from the UK’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science are setting off for Chile to investigate how massive swathes of clouds that hang over the Pacific are affecting climate and weather all round the world. This new project aims to reduce some of the largest errors currently in our climate models and thus greatly improve predictions of future climate change. ... > full story
Archaeologists Find Unique, Early US Relic Of African Worship (October 23, 2008) -- Archaeologists have dug up what they believe to be one of the earliest US examples of African spirit practices. The researchers say it's the only object of its kind ever found by archaeologists in North America -- a clay "bundle" filled with small pieces of common metal, placed in what had been an Annapolis street gutter three centuries ago. ... > full story
Cracking The Case Of Recycled Gadgets (October 23, 2008) -- Recycling devices built with plastic cases and other components, such as mobile phones, mp3 players, and personal digital assistants, is difficult and requires repetitive manual labor. However, a new approach to creating the fastenings and tabs for such devices based on the shape-memory effect in plastics could mean that disassembling such devices at end of life could be automated. ... > full story
Plant-eating Predator To Fight Superweed Is Not Magic Bullet, According To Japanese Knotweed Expert (October 22, 2008) -- Plans to introduce plant-eating predators to fight a superweed spreading throughout Britain should not be seen as a 'magic bullet', says a world expert on Japanese knotweed. ... > full story
Ancient Bone Tool Sheds Light On Prehistoric Midwest (October 22, 2008) -- A prehistoric bone tool just discovered by archeologists is the oldest such artifact ever documented in Indiana, researchers say. ... > full story
Turtle Doves Commit Adultery (October 22, 2008) -- A biologist has shown that bastard doves can fend for themselves. Despite having a strange coo, hybrid offspring are still able to defend their territory. This is necessary for further reproduction. ... > full story
Study Of Polar Dinosaur Migration Questions Whether Dinosaurs Were Truly The First Great Migrators (October 22, 2008) -- A recently released study of northern and southern polar dinosaur migration indicates that some species may have migrated nearly 3,000 km in a six month period- far short of the distance needed to reach warmer climes. What's more, the study also revealed that other species would have been forced to endure polar winters and exhibited characteristics similar to today's nonmigratory animals when dealing with hibernating, foraging and even burrowing. ... > full story
Evolution Of Genes That Trigger The Body's Immune Response To Viral Infection (October 22, 2008) -- Researchers have traced the evolutionary origin of two genes that serve as primary cellular sensors of infection with RNA viruses, such as influenza, polio virus, West Nile virus, and HIV, which may ultimately provide researchers with insight into a possible new pathway for the development of innate immunity. ... > full story
Fertilizers: A Growing Threat To Sea Life (October 22, 2008) -- A rise in carbon emissions is not the only threat to the planet. Changes to the nitrogen cycle, caused in large part by the widespread use of fertilizers, are also damaging both water quality and aquatic life. These concerns are highlighted in a historical review of landscape changes around Chesapeake Bay. ... > full story
Contact Lenses Are Home To Pathogenic Amoebae (October 22, 2008) -- Contact lenses increase the risk of infection with pathogenic protozoa that can cause blindness. New research shows that a high percentage of contact lens cases in Tenerife are contaminated with Acanthamoeba that cannot be killed by normal contact lens solution. ... > full story
Egg Whites Solve The 3-D Problem (October 22, 2008) -- The real world is three-dimensional. That's true even in the laboratory, where scientists have to grow cells to study how they develop and what happens when their growth is abnormal. More and more laboratories are seeking to develop three-dimensional cell culture systems that allow them to test their new techniques and drugs in a system that more closely mimics the way in which cells grow. However, a big sticking point is the cost of commercial media for growing such cultures. ... > full story
Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus Reveals Its Access Code (October 22, 2008) -- Biologists have identified an amino acid switch that flaviviruses flip to gain access to cells. Flaviviruses such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), yellow fever, and dengue are dangerous human pathogens. ... > full story
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
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