ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Monday, October 6, 2008
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Gene Expression In Alligators Suggests Birds Have 'Thumbs' (October 6, 2008) -- The latest breakthrough in a 120 year-old debate on the evolution of the bird wing was just published. Bird wings only have three fingers, having evolved from remote ancestors that, like humans and most reptiles, had five fingers. Biologists have typically used embryology to identify the evolutionary origin (homology) of structures; the three fingers of the bird wing develop from cartilage condensations that are found in the same positions in the embryo as fingers two, three and four of humans (the index, middle and ring fingers). However, the morphology of the fingers of early birds such as Archaeopteryx corresponds to that of fingers one, two and three in other reptiles (thumb, index and middle finger). ... > full story
100 Years Of Ammonia Synthesis: How A Single Patent Changed The World (October 6, 2008) -- Now it is time to invent sustainable solutions to avoid environmental damage. As a result of the Haber-Bosch process for the synthesis of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen, billions of people have been fed, millions have died in armed conflict and a cascade of environmental changes has been set in motion, suggests a new article. ... > full story
Singing To Females Makes Male Birds' Brains Happy (October 6, 2008) -- The melodious singing of birds has been long appreciated by humans, and has often been thought to reflect a particularly positive emotional state of the singer. Researchers in Japan have now demonstrated that this can be true. When male birds sang to attract females, specific "reward" areas of their brain were strongly activated. ... > full story
Bring On The Pak Choi: Consumers Interested In Trying More Asian Vegetables (October 6, 2008) -- Asian vegetables, a diverse group of specialty vegetables grown and consumed throughout Asia, are becoming an integral part of the American diet. To gauge their familiarity with a range of Asian vegetables, consumers were asked to complete a written survey as they entered two fruit and vegetable markets in Belleville, Ill., on busy Saturday mornings. ... > full story
Pterodactyl-inspired Robot To Master Air, Ground And Sea (October 5, 2008) -- Scientists have reached back in time 115 million years to one of the most successful flying creatures in Earth's history -- the pterodactyl -- to conjure a robotic spy plane with next-generation capabilities. ... > full story
Ultra-Endurance Competitors: Lessons From Sled Dogs In The Iditarod (October 5, 2008) -- Racing sled dogs are best known for their "mushing" each March during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the world's longest sled race. They are the premier ultra-endurance competitors, covering 1,100 miles from Anchorage to Nome, AK, sometimes in just nine days. It is unclear how they can keep running despite heavy blizzards, temperatures as low as 40°F, and winds up to 60 mph. An expert explains what he has discovered thus far. ... > full story
DNA-based Vaccine Shows Promise Against Avian Flu (October 5, 2008) -- Though it has fallen from the headlines, a global pandemic caused by bird flu still has the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on high alert. Yet, to date, the only vaccines that have proven even semi-effective are produced in chicken eggs, take five to six months to prepare and act against a single variant of the H5N1 virus, which mutates incredibly quickly. ... > full story
Advance Offers Revolution In Food Safety Testing (October 5, 2008) -- Microbiologists have developed a new technology to detect illness-causing bacteria -- an advance that could revolutionize the food industry, improving the actual protection to consumers while avoiding the costly waste and massive recalls of products that are suspected of bacterial contamination but are perfectly safe. ... > full story
The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave In The Rocks? (October 5, 2008) -- What will be the lasting impression made by mankind - 100 million years hence? "From the perspective of 100 million years in the future --- a geologist's view --- the reign of humans on Earth would seem very short: we would almost certainly have died out long before then. What footprint will we leave in the rocks? What would have become of our great cities, our roads and tunnels, our cars, our plastic cups in the far distant future? What fossils would we leave behind? ... > full story
Bio-imaging Mass Spectrometry Techniques Reveal Molecular Details About Complex Systems (October 5, 2008) -- Georgia Tech's new Center for Bio-Imaging Mass Spectrometry allows researchers to visualize the spatial arrangement and relative abundance of specific molecules -- from simple metabolites to peptides and proteins -- in biological samples. The center includes biologists, chemists and engineers whose goal is to unravel the molecular complexities of biological systems. ... > full story
Topsoil's Limited Turnover: A Crisis In Time (October 5, 2008) -- Topsoil does not last forever. Records show that topsoil erosion, accelerated by human civilization and conventional agricultural practices, has outpaced long-term soil production. Earth's continents are losing prime agricultural soils even as population growth and increased demand for biofuels claim more from this basic resource. ... > full story
Meteorites From Inner Solar System Match Up To Earth's Platinum Standard (October 4, 2008) -- Some of the world's rarest and most precious metals, including platinum and iridium, could owe their presence in the Earth's crust to iron and stony-iron meteorites, fragments of a large number of asteroids that underwent significant geological processing in the early Solar System. ... > full story
Gas From The Past Gives Scientists New Insights Into Climate And The Oceans (October 4, 2008) -- In recent years, public discussion of climate change has included concerns that increased levels of carbon dioxide will contribute to global warming, which in turn may change the circulation in the Earth's oceans, with potentially disastrous consequences. Ice core and ocean deposit comparisons show complex links between carbon dioxide levels, ocean currents and climate, which may help explain past, present and future climate trends. ... > full story
Discovery Of Natural Compounds That Could Slow Blood Vessel Growth (October 4, 2008) -- Using computer models and live cell experiments, biomedical engineers have discovered more than 100 human protein fragments that can slow or stop the growth of cells that make up new blood vessels. ... > full story
Navy Confirms Sunken Submarine Is Grunion (October 4, 2008) -- A sunken vessel discovered off the coast of the Aleutian Islands is in fact the World War II submarine USS Grunion (SS 216). The submarine Grunion arrived at Pearl Harbor on June 20, 1942. ... > full story
Obesity Clue: Newly Identified Cells Make Fat (October 4, 2008) -- The discovery of an important fat precursor cell may explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity. ... > full story
Arctic Sea Ice Annual Freeze-up Underway (October 4, 2008) -- After reaching the second-lowest extent ever recorded last month, sea ice in the Arctic has begun to refreeze in the face of autumn temperatures, closing both the Northern Sea Route and the direct route through the Northwest Passage. ... > full story
Traits Produced By Melanin May Signal The Bearer's Capacity To Combat Free Radicals (October 4, 2008) -- Some animal species have developed conspicuous traits produced by melanin pigments (for instance, dark manes in lions, black stripes in some birds and fishes). These traits are used as signals during contests for resources and/or contribute to increase the mating opportunities. However, the efficiency of these traits as signals depends on the fact that they transmit honest information about the quality of the bearer. Scientists have now proposed a novel hypothesis suggesting that melanin-produced traits could indicate the ability of the bearer in fighting free radicals and oxidative damage. ... > full story
Tiny Dust Particles From Sahara Could Help Scientists Study Climate Change (October 4, 2008) -- Scientists in Spain have discovered and characterized a new type of atmospheric aerosols named "iberulites," which could be useful for the study of relevant atmospheric reactions from Earth. The researchers have been carrying out weekly samples collecting atmospheric dust since 1999, and they have determined through satellite images the route followed by these particles in their atmospheric journey. ... > full story
Artificial Cells: Models Of Eel Cells Suggest Electrifying Possibilities (October 3, 2008) -- Researchers have applied modern engineering design tools to one of the basic units of life. They say that artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells but in fact improve on them, possibly driving future implantable medical devices. ... > full story
Small Fly Has Receptor For Painful Heat (October 3, 2008) -- Scientists have found that a small fly, drosophila, has a receptor for noxious heat. ... > full story
Don't Stress! Bacterial Cell's 'Crisis Command Center' Revealed (October 3, 2008) -- A bacterial cell's 'crisis command center' has been observed for the first time swinging into action to protect the cell from external stress and danger, according to new research. ... > full story
Epstein-Barr Virus Protein Contributes To Cancer (October 3, 2008) -- Researchers have shown that the EBNA1 protein of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) disrupts structures in the nucleus of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, thereby interfering with cellular processes that normally prevent cancer development. The study, published in PLoS Pathogens, describes a novel mechanism by which viral proteins contribute to carcinogenesis. ... > full story
Remembrance Of Tussles Past: Paper Wasps Show Surprisingly Strong Memory For Previous Encounters (October 3, 2008) -- With brains less than a millionth the size of humans', paper wasps hardly seem like mental giants. But new research shows that these insects can remember individuals for at least a week, even after meeting and interacting with many other wasps in the meantime. ... > full story
Reducing Work Commutes Not Easy In Some Cities, Study Suggests (October 3, 2008) -- Shorter work commutes are one way to reduce gasoline consumption, but a new study finds that not all cities are equal in how easy it would be to achieve that goal. Research suggests that Atlanta and Minneapolis may be the US metropolitan areas that would find it most difficult to reduce the miles that workers commute each day. ... > full story
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Second-lowest Recorded Extent, Likely Lowest Volume (October 3, 2008) -- Arctic sea ice extent during the 2008 melt season dropped to the second-lowest level Sept. 14 since satellite measurements began in 1979 and may represent the lowest volume of sea ice on record, according to researchers. ... > full story
Similarity Of Urban Flora: Plants In Towns And Cities Are More Closely Related Than Those In The Countryside (October 3, 2008) -- More plant species grow in German towns and cities than in the countryside, but those in towns and cities are more closely related and are often functionally similar. This makes urban ecosystems more susceptible to environmental impacts. ... > full story
Captain Birdseye's Robotic Nose (October 3, 2008) -- The captain can't freeze smelly fish that's past its best -- and Icelandic scientists can now help him out by detecting the levels of stench-making bacteria faster than ever before. A new method to detect bacteria that break down dead fish and produce the distasteful smell of rotting fish has been developed. ... > full story
Compact Fluorescent Lighting: Are We Trading Energy Conservation For Toxic Mercury Emissions? (October 3, 2008) -- New research shows certain countries and some US states stand to benefit from the use of compact fluorescent lighting more than others, and some places may even produce more mercury emissions by switching from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs. ... > full story
Simple Twists Of Fate (October 3, 2008) -- A novel study in PLoS Biology reports on some of the molecular gymnastics performed by a protein involved in regulating DNA transcription. Using state-of-the art tools, researchers observed the shape and behavior of individual DNA molecules bent into tight loops by Lac repressor, a protein from the bacterium E.coli that switches on and off individual genes. ... > full story
Chernobyl Fallout? Plutonium Found In Swedish Soil (October 2, 2008) -- More than 20 years later, researchers from Case Western Reserve University traveled to Sweden and Poland to gain insight into the downward migration of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in the soil. Among the team's findings was the fact that much more plutonium was found in the Swedish soil at a depth that corresponded with the nuclear explosion than that of Poland. ... > full story
New Fish Species May Emerge Because Of How Females See Males (October 2, 2008) -- Eye color and hair color play a role in human partner choice, but visual stimuli can also determine mating preferences in the animal kingdom. In many species, the male's fortunes in the mating stakes are decided by a conspicuous breeding dress. A study of brightly colored fish has now demonstrated that this has less to do with aesthetics than with the sensitivity of female eyes, which varies as a result of adaptation to the environment. ... > full story
When Cells Go Bad: Cells That Avoid Suicide May Become Cancerous (October 2, 2008) -- When a cell's chromosomes lose their ends, the cell usually kills itself to stem the genetic damage. But now biologists have discovered how those cells can evade suicide and start down the path to cancer. The new study of fruit flies is the first to show in animals that losing just one telomere -- the end of a chromosome -- can lead to many abnormalities in a cell's chromosomes. ... > full story
New Dinosaur Species, Pachyrhinosaur Lakustai, Had Bony Frill And Horns (October 2, 2008) -- Newly found fossils revealed a herd of dinosaurs that perished in a catastrophic event 72.5 million years ago. Scientists describe the animals as having a bony frill on the back of the skull ornamented with smaller horns. They also had large bony structures above their nose and eyes which lends them their name: Pachyrhinosaurus (thick-nosed lizard). These structures probably supported horns of keratin. ... > full story
Cells Coordinate Gene Activity With FM Bursts, Scientists Find (October 2, 2008) -- How a cell achieves the coordinated control of a number of genes at the same time has long puzzled scientists. Researchers have discovered a surprising answer. Just as human engineers control devices ranging from dimmer switches to retrorockets using frequency modulated signals, cells tune the expression of groups of genes using discrete bursts of activation. ... > full story
Short RNAs Show A Long History: MicroRNAs Found In Animals That Appeared A Billion Years Ago (October 2, 2008) -- MicroRNAs, the tiny molecules that fine-tune gene expression, were first discovered in 1993. But it turns out they've been around for a billion years. MicroRNAs and piRNAs, two classes of small RNAs that regulate genes, have been discovered within diverse animal lineages, implying that they have been present since the ancestor of all animals (about a billion years ago).They may have been shaping gene expression throughout the evolution of animals, contributing to the emergence of new species and perhaps even the emergence of multicellular animal life. ... > full story
Ecologists Allay Fears For Farmland Birds From Wind Turbines (October 2, 2008) -- Wind farms pose less of a threat to farmland birds than previously feared, new research has found. The study helps resolve a potentially major environmental conflict: how to meet renewable energy targets at the same time as reversing dramatic declines in biodiversity on European farmland. ... > full story
Extinct May Not Be Forever For Some Species Of Galapagos Tortoises (October 2, 2008) -- Yale scientists report that genetic traces of extinct species of Galapagos tortoises exist in descendants now living in the wild, a finding that could spur breeding programs to restore the species. ... > full story
HIV Drug Maraviroc Effective For Drug-resistant Patients (October 2, 2008) -- As many as one quarter of HIV patients have drug resistance, limiting their treatment options and raising their risk for AIDS and death. Now, maraviroc, the first of a new class of HIV drugs called CCR5 receptor antagonists, has been shown to be effective over 48 weeks for drug-resistant patients with R5 HIV-1, a variation of the virus found in more than half of HIV-infected patients. ... > full story
DNA Tests Could Help Predict, Prevent Harmful Algal Blooms (October 2, 2008) -- DNA test could be used to detect harmful algal blooms across the globe, an article the International Journal of Environment and Pollution. ... > full story
From Mothballs To Mobilization: Taking The Salt Out Of Sea Water (October 2, 2008) -- The United Nations estimates that 1.1 billion people across the globe lack access to sustainable, clean drinking water. How can science help provide more drinkable water for a growing population on an Earth with limited fresh surface-water and groundwater resources? One researcher shows that desalinization -- removing salt from ocean water to create fresh water -- is a practical way to meet the growing human need. ... > full story
Canada's Shores Saved Animals From Devastating Climate Change 252 Million Years Ago (October 2, 2008) -- Scientists have solved part of the mystery of where marine organisms that recovered from the biggest extinction on earth were housed. The researchers discovered that the shorelines of ancient Canada provided a refuge for marine organisms that escaped annihilation during the Permian-Triassic extinction event. ... > full story
Vegetation Hardly Affected By Extreme Flood Events: Impacts On Flora And Fauna Of The Elbe Flood Of 2002 (October 2, 2008) -- Extreme flood events in floodplain grasslands affect carabid beetles and molluscs more than plants. Biologists did several years of observations before and after the Elbe floods of August 2002 in this study. Flow variations are known to be most important drivers in structuring riverine communities. However, until now, the effects of extreme flood events on the flora and fauna of floodplains have been largely unknown, despite the fact that such events are likely to become more frequent as a result of climate change. ... > full story
New Way To Make Malaria Medicine Also First Step In Finding New Antibiotics (October 1, 2008) -- Microbiologists have developed a way to mass-produce an antimalarial compound, potentially making the treatment of malaria less expensive. ... > full story
Commercial Aquatic Plants Offer Cost-effective Method For Treating Wastewater (October 1, 2008) -- Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been promoted as inexpensive, low-technology approaches to treating agricultural, industrial and municipal wastewater to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. CWs, or marshes built to treat contaminated water, incorporate soil and drainage materials, water, plants and microorganisms. "Surface-flow" constructed wetlands resemble shallow freshwater marshes and generally require a large land area for wastewater treatment. More effective for greenhouse and nursery operations with limited production space and expensive land are a type of constructed wetland called "subsurface flow." ... > full story
Disease Diagnosis In Just 15 Minutes? Biosensor Technology Uses Antibodies To Detect Biomarkers Much Faster (October 1, 2008) -- Testing for diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis could soon be as simple as using a pregnancy testing kit. Scientists have developed a biosensor technology that uses antibodies to detect biomarkers -- molecules in the human body which are often a marker for disease -- much faster than current testing methods. ... > full story
Reversible 3D Cell Culture Gel Invented (October 1, 2008) -- A unique user-friendly gel that can liquefy on demand, with the potential to revolutionize three-dimensional cell culture for medical research, has been invented. ... > full story
Honey Effective In Killing Bacteria That Cause Chronic Sinusitis (October 1, 2008) -- Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to new research. ... > full story
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