ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Tuesday, July 13, 2010
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Staggering tree loss from 2005 Amazon storm (July 13, 2010) -- A single, huge, violent storm that swept across the whole Amazon forest in 2005 killed half a billion trees, a new study shows. ... > full story
Plant 'breathing' mechanism discovered (July 13, 2010) -- A tiny, little-understood plant pore has enormous implications for weather forecasting, climate change, agriculture, hydrology, and more. Scientists have now overturned the conventional belief about how these important structures called stomata regulate water vapor loss from the leaf -- a process called transpiration. They found that radiation is the driving force of physical processes deep within the leaf. ... > full story
Eating foods rich in vitamin E associated with lower dementia risk (July 13, 2010) -- Consuming more vitamin E through the diet appears to be associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Researchers witness overnight breakup, retreat of Greenland glacier (July 13, 2010) -- NASA-funded researchers monitoring Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier report that a 7 square kilometer (2.7 square mile) section of the glacier broke up on July 6 and 7, as shown in a new image. ... > full story
Antidepressants make shrimps see the light (July 12, 2010) -- Rising levels of antidepressants in coastal waters could change sea-life behavior and potentially damage the food-chain, according to a new study. ... > full story
Oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem discovered (July 12, 2010) -- A tiny clay fragment -- dating from the 14th century B.C.E. -- that was found in excavations outside Jerusalem's Old City walls contains the oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem, say researchers in Israel. The find, believed to be part of a tablet from a royal archives, further testifies to the importance of Jerusalem as a major city in the Late Bronze Age, long before its conquest by King David, they say. ... > full story
Bars, restaurants see no significant employment change under smoking bans in two cities (July 12, 2010) -- The passage of smoking bans in two large Minnesota cities was not associated with job losses at bars and may in fact have contributed to higher employment in restaurants, according to new research. The study is the first to examine the economic effects of clean indoor air policies on bars and restaurants as independent types of businesses, the researchers said. ... > full story
Sewage overflow promotes spread of West Nile virus (July 12, 2010) -- Sewage that overflows into urban creeks and streams during periods of heavy rain can promote the spread of West Nile virus, a study finds. The analysis of six years of data showed that people living near creeks with sewage overflows in lower-income neighborhoods of Southeast Atlanta had a seven times higher risk for West Nile virus than the rest of the city. ... > full story
Mouse stem cell study offers new insights into body fat distribution (July 12, 2010) -- New research shows that adding fat to mouse stem cells grown in the lab affects their response to the signals that push them to develop into one or other of the main types of fat storage cells -- subcutaneous (under the skin) or visceral (around the organs). ... > full story
Penguin males with steady pitch make better parents (July 12, 2010) -- Courtship calls help penguin females decide which males are likely to be devoted dads, according to a new study. By listening to male courtship calls, a female can tell how fat a male is and what kind of father he'll be. Fatter males make better fathers because they have the energy reserves to endure long fasts, so are less likely to leave the nest and desert their chicks. ... > full story
Dogs may help collar Chagas disease: Researchers propose new ways to combat prevalent public health challenge (July 12, 2010) -- Chagas disease affects 10 to 12 million people in Latin America, killing more than 15,000 a year. It is caused by a parasite that roams with only limited control among the rural poor in Latin America. Researchers have found that dogs are important vectors in both the spread of the disease and the potential to help control it, and can make good sentinels for health officials monitoring T. cruzi transmission. ... > full story
North Pacific: Global backup generator for past climate change (July 12, 2010) -- Toward the end of the last ice age, a major reorganization took place in the current system of the North Pacific with far-reaching implications for climate. About that time, the North Pacific branch of the conveyor belt changed drastically. The reconstructed changes in the North Pacific current system may have buffered the global impacts of the collapsed circulation in the Atlantic and possibly prevented further cooling of the Northern hemisphere. ... > full story
Mexican salamander helps uncover mysteries of stem cells and evolution (July 12, 2010) -- Scientists have been using a Mexican aquatic salamander called an axolotl to study the evolution and genetics of stem cells -- research that supports the development of regenerative medicine to treat the consequences of disease and injury using stem cell therapies. ... > full story
'Dawning of a new age' in bacteria research (July 12, 2010) -- Lowly bacteria are turning out to be much more complex than previously thought. Researchers describe an example of bacterial complexity, called "protein acetylation," which once was thought to be rare in bacteria. ... > full story
DNA through graphene nanopores (July 12, 2010) -- Researchers in the Netherlands have developed a new type of nanopore devices that may significantly impact the way we screen DNA molecules, for example to read off their sequence. The scientists report a novel technique to fabricate tiny holes in a layer of graphene (a carbon layer with a thickness of only 1 atom) and they managed to detect the motion of individual DNA molecules that travel through such a hole. ... > full story
Earliest archaeological evidence of pet tortoises discovered (July 12, 2010) -- An archaeologist has discovered a bone belonging to a late 19th-century tortoise from Stafford Castle, Staffordshire - believed to be the earliest archaeological evidence of a tortoise kept as a family pet. ... > full story
Honey as an antibiotic: Scientists identify a secret ingredient in honey that kills bacteria (July 12, 2010) -- Sweet news for those looking for new antibiotics: new research explains for the first time how honey kills bacteria. Specifically, the research shows that bees make a protein that they add to the honey, called defensin-1, which could one day be used to treat burns and skin infections and to develop new drugs that could combat antibiotic-resistant infections. ... > full story
First preliminary profile of proteins in bed bugs' saliva (July 12, 2010) -- With bed bugs reemerging as a nuisance in some parts of the country, scientists are reporting the first preliminary description of the bug's sialome -- the saliva proteins that are the secret to Cimex lectularius' ability to suck blood from its human victims and escape to bite again with risking a lethal slap. The findings could have medical applications in diagnosing bed bug bites and preventing the itch. ... > full story
Wet breathing system filters transmit harmful bacteria and yeast, hospitals warned (July 12, 2010) -- UK doctors have highlighted potential problems with the breathing system filters used in anesthesia, including intensive care units, after demonstrating that they don’t provide protection from harmful bacteria and yeast when they become wet. A new study shows that when they were wet, six commonly available filters allowed substantial passage of Candida albicans (a yeast infection linked to a range of chronic illnesses) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (a common hospital-acquired bacterial infection). ... > full story
Breakthrough in terahertz remote sensing: Unique THz 'fingerprints' will identify hidden explosives from a distance (July 12, 2010) -- A major breakthrough in remote wave sensing by a team of researchers opens the way for detecting hidden explosives, chemical, biological agents and illegal drugs from a distance of 20 meters. ... > full story
Surprisingly regular patterns in hurricane energy discovered (July 12, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have discovered a mathematical relation between the number of hurricanes produced in certain parts of Earth and the energy they release. ... > full story
Geo-neutrinos: Discovery of subatomic particles could answer deep questions in geology (July 12, 2010) -- An international team has detected subatomic particles -- geo-neutrinos -- deep within Earth's interior. The discovery could help geologists understand how reactions taking place in the planet's interior affect events on the surface such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Someday, scientists may know enough about the sources and flow of heat in Earth to predict events like the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. ... > full story
Red hot chili peppers arrive in sub-zero Arctic Seed Vault (July 12, 2010) -- A new collection of some of North America's hottest foods -- an eclectic range of New World chili peppers -- were delivered to the cool Arctic Circle environs of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault this week, where their exotic tongue-scorching qualities can be kept safe for centuries. ... > full story
What’s killing farmed salmon? New virus may also pose risk to wild salmon (July 12, 2010) -- Epidemics of infectious disease are threatening the farmed fish industry, including one of its most popular products: farmed Atlantic salmon. A team of scientists has found evidence that the disease may be caused by a previously unknown virus. ... > full story
Big picture: Lipid ordering visualized in a living vertebrate organism (July 12, 2010) -- Scientists have obtained the first visualization of the inherent arrangement of lipid molecules in different tissues of a whole, living vertebrate organism. The research validates earlier studies done with primary cells and may lead to a new understanding of the physiological significance of plasma membrane organization. ... > full story
Computing power cracks egg shell problem (July 12, 2010) -- Researchers in the UK have applied computing power to crack a problem in egg shell formation. The work may also give a partial answer to the age old question "what came first the chicken or the egg?" ... > full story
Source of essential nutrients for mid-ocean algae discovered (July 12, 2010) -- For almost three decades, oceanographers have been puzzled by the ability of microscopic algae to grow in mid-ocean areas where there is very little nitrate, an essential algal nutrient. In a new study, researchers show that mid-ocean algae obtain nitrate from deep water, as much as 250 meters below the surface. This finding will help scientists predict how open-ocean ecosystems could respond to global warming. ... > full story
Majority of fevers in African children are not caused by malaria, study finds (July 12, 2010) -- In 2007, an estimated 656 million fevers occurred in African children aged 0-4 years, with 78 million children of the 183 million attending a public health care facility likely to have been infected with P. falciparum (range 60-103 million), the parasite that causes the most dangerous form of malaria. These findings come from a modelling system devised by experts from the Malaria Atlas Project. ... > full story
Archeologists explore rural Galilee and find ancient synagogue (July 12, 2010) -- Among various important discoveries, the 2010 Kinneret Regional Project discovered an ancient synagogue, in use at around 400 AD. This year’s archeological focus is the first systematic excavation on Horvat Kur, a village inhabited from the Early Roman through the Early Medieval periods located on a gentle hill two kilometers west of the Lake of Galilee. Thirty volunteers – mostly students of theology, religious studies, and archeology – and staff from the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium, Spain, Israel, and Germany explore the material remains of the village life in Galilee, a region that features very prominently in Early Christian and Rabbinic tradition. ... > full story
Healthy made up over half of UK swine flu admissions and inpatient deaths in first wave (July 12, 2010) -- Over half of UK swine flu hospital admissions and inpatient deaths occurred in people with no underlying health problems or obvious risk factors, new research reveals. ... > full story
Green goes mainstream: Biodiversity is climbing the corporate agenda (July 12, 2010) -- One in four global CEOs sees biodiversity loss as a strategic issue for business growth: Latin American and African CEOs are most concerned about impacts of biodiversity loss on business growth prospects; European CEOs are least concerned, according to a new report. ... > full story
Plant extract may be effective against inflammatory bowel disease (July 11, 2010) -- New research shows an extract made from a food plant in the Brassica family was effective in alleviating signs of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition, in mice. ... > full story
New biofuels processing method for mobile facilities (July 11, 2010) -- Chemical engineers have developed a new method to process agricultural waste and other biomass into biofuels, and they are proposing the creation of mobile processing plants that would rove the Midwest to produce the fuels. ... > full story
Farmers to get rice-growing advice via text messages (July 11, 2010) -- Farmers in the "texting capital" of the world -- the Philippines -- will soon have nutrient management advice tailored specifically to their rice crops delivered to their mobile phones. ... > full story
NASA to fly into hurricane research this summer (July 11, 2010) -- Three NASA aircraft will begin flights to study tropical cyclones on Aug. 15 during the agency's first major U.S.-based hurricane field campaign since 2001. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP, will study the creation and rapid intensification of hurricanes. Advanced instruments from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will be aboard two of the aircraft. ... > full story
Borne on the wing: Avian influenza risk in US wild songbirds mapped (July 11, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that 22 species of passerines -- songbirds and perching birds -- in the contiguous U.S. are carriers of low-pathogenicity avian influenza. Pathogenicity is the ability of a germ to produce an infectious disease in an organism. The prevalence of influenza in waterfowl has long been known. But the researchers' analysis indicates that the number of songbird species with low-pathogenicity avian influenza is greater than the number in eight other avian orders, including waterfowl. ... > full story
Chemical quality of rivers revealed by small freshwater shrimp (July 11, 2010) -- Biological markers detect the presence of toxic substances in the environment. In implementing the European water framework directive, scientists use Gammarus, a small freshwater shrimp present in all rivers, as a marker. They observe the impact of contamination on the main vital functions of the animal, which thus serves as a sentinel for rivers. ... > full story
Antibody may help treat and prevent influenza outbreaks (July 10, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a monoclonal antibody that is effective against "avian" H5N1, seasonal H1N1 and the 2009 "swine" H1N1 influenza. Scientists have shown that this antibody potently prevents and treats the swine H1N1 influenza in mouse models of the disease. ... > full story
Better barriers can help levees withstand wave erosion (July 10, 2010) -- A new barrier design could protect reservoir levees from the erosive forces of wind-driven waves, according new research. These findings could help lower the maintenance costs for constructed ponds in the lower Mississippi Delta where levee repairs can average per foot -- and sometimes are needed just five years after a reservoir is built. ... > full story
Honey bee venom may help design new treatments to alleviate muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia (July 10, 2010) -- Scientists researching a toxin extracted from the venom of the honey bee have used this to inform the design of new treatments to alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia. ... > full story
New spin on drug delivery: Chemical engineers discover an enhanced delivery method of DNA payloads into cells (July 10, 2010) -- Chemical engineers have discovered how to "greatly enhance" the delivery of DNA payloads into cells. Lu's ultimate goal is to apply this technique to create genetically modified cells for cancer immunotherapy, stem cell therapy and tissue regeneration. ... > full story
Fireflies blink in synch to send a clear message (July 10, 2010) -- For decades, scientists have speculated about why some fireflies exhibit synchronous flashing, in which large groups produce rhythmic, repeated flashes in unison -- sometimes lighting up a whole forest at once. Now, the first experiments on the function of this phenomenon suggest that synchronous flashing preserves female fireflies' recognition of suitable mates. ... > full story
Marijuana derivative could be useful for pain treatment (July 10, 2010) -- A new compound similar to the active component of marijuana (cannabis) might provide effective pain relief without the mental and physical side effects of cannabis, according to a new study. ... > full story
Wild cat found mimicking monkey calls; Predatory trickery documented for the first time in wild felids in Americas (July 9, 2010) -- In a fascinating example of vocal mimicry, researchers have documented a wild cat species imitating the call of its intended victim: a small, squirrel-sized monkey known as a pied tamarin. This is the first recorded instance of a wild cat species in the Americas mimicking the calls of its prey. ... > full story
Tiny clays curb big earthquakes (July 9, 2010) -- California's San Andreas fault is notorious for repeatedly generating major earthquakes and for being on the brink of producing the next "big one" in a heavily populated area. But the famously violent fault also has quieter sections, where rocks easily slide against each other without giving rise to damaging quakes. ... > full story
Origins of multicellularity: All in the family (July 9, 2010) -- One of the most pivotal steps in evolution -- the transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms -- may not have required as much retooling as commonly believed, scientists have found. A comparison of the genomes of the multicellular algae Volvox carteri and its closest unicellular relative Chlamydomonas reinhardtii revealed that multicellular organisms may have been able to build their more complex molecular machinery largely from the same list of parts that was already available to their unicellular ancestors. ... > full story
Nematodes vanquish billion dollar pest (July 9, 2010) -- Diabrotica virgifera virgifera beetle larvae (known as western corn rootworm) wreak havoc on maize, causing an estimated billion of damage every year to US agriculture. Knowing that Heterorhabditis bacteriophora nematodes kill the pest, researchers in Switzerland have successfully improved the nematode's response to a chemical, (E)-beta-caryophyllene, released by damaged maize roots, to attract the nematodes directly to the pest in a bid to produce an environmentally safe pesticide. ... > full story
Biologists find a way to lower tumor risk in stem cell therapies (July 9, 2010) -- Biologists have discovered a way to limit the formation of teratomas. They have identified a new signaling pathway critical for unlimited self propagation of embryonic stem cells. Using small molecule compounds that inhibit this pathway, the scientists were able to dramatically reduce the potential of embryonic stem cells to form teratomas. ... > full story
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