ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, July 15, 2010
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Carbon sequestration: Steam process could remove carbon dioxide to regenerate amine capture materials (July 15, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated a relatively simple regeneration technique that could utilize waste steam to remove carbon dioxide from solid amine materials used to capture the greenhouse gas from the flue gases of coal-burning facilities. This steam-stripping technique could produce concentrated carbon dioxide ready for sequestration -- while readying the amine materials for further use. ... > full story
Finding diamonds: Scientists' work improves odds (July 15, 2010) -- While prospectors and geologists have been successful in finding diamonds through diligent searching, one professor and his team's work could help improve the odds by focusing future searches in particular areas. ... > full story
Pigs provide clues on cystic fibrosis lung disease (July 15, 2010) -- Aided by a new experimental model, scientists are a step closer to understanding how cystic fibrosis (CF) causes lung disease in people with the condition. The findings could help improve treatments for lung disease, which causes most of the deaths and disability among people with CF. ... > full story
Early exposure to milk protein from cows increases allergy resistance later in life, study finds (July 15, 2010) -- A researcher in Israel has found that babies who are fed cow milk protein early, in the form of infant formula, seem to be protected from developing an allergy to the same protein later in life. ... > full story
Waterborne diseases could cost over 0 million annually in US (July 15, 2010) -- Hospitalizations for three common waterborne diseases cost the health care system as much as 9 million annually, according to new research. ... > full story
Who's queen? Insulin signaling key to caste development in bees (July 14, 2010) -- What makes a bee grow up to be a queen? Scientists have long pondered this mystery. Now, researchers have fit a new piece into the puzzle of bee development -- a piece that also illuminates understanding about our own development and aging. The study shows that a key protein in the insulin signaling pathway plays a strong role in caste development among bees. ... > full story
Tornado safety: What is the safest room in the house? (July 14, 2010) -- For 18 horrific hours on April 3, 1974, a cataclysmic group of tornados spun through and sacked 13 states and one Canadian province, ravaging some 900 square miles and killing 148 people. An iconic photo snapped afterwards speaks a thousand words: amid devastation, one thing remained intact: an interior bathroom of a single house, whose walls had not been connected to the rest of the house. ... > full story
Plavix may be treatment for dogs at risk of thromboembolic disease (July 14, 2010) -- Companion animals that have a long-term need for anticoagulant drug therapies may soon find help in a top-selling antiplatelet drug marketed to humans: clopidogrel, commonly known by the trade-name Plavix. Researchers have found that clopidogrel may be a safe and effective treatment for dogs that need long-term anticoagulant therapy. ... > full story
Opening the gate to the cell's recycling center (July 14, 2010) -- In cells, as in cities, disposing of garbage and recycling anything that can be reused is an essential service. In both city and cell, health problems can arise when the process breaks down. ... > full story
Cashew seed extract an effective anti-diabetic, study shows (July 14, 2010) -- Cashew seed extract shows promise as an effective anti-diabetic, according to a new study. The investigation analyzed the reputed health benefits of cashew tree products on diabetes, notably whether cashew extracts could improve the body's response to its own insulin. ... > full story
Elusive ant queen pheromone tracked down (July 14, 2010) -- Much like humans, social insects such as ants and bees behave differently when their mother is not around. Workers are thought to perceive the presence of their mother queen using her unique pheromones. New research in ants has tracked down the elusive queen pheromone for the first time and revealed that workers are capable of developing ovaries in preparation for laying eggs in absence of pheromones. ... > full story
Triceratops and Torsaurus were same dinosaur at different stages (July 14, 2010) -- Triceratops and Torosaurus were the same dinosaur at different stages of growth, according to new research. Since the late 1800s, scientists have believed that Triceratops and Torosaurus were two different types of dinosaurs. Triceratops had a three-horned skull with a rather short frill, whereas Torosaurus had a much bigger frill with two large holes through it. ... > full story
Tea may contain more fluoride than once thought, research shows (July 14, 2010) -- Black tea, a Southern staple and the world's most consumed beverage, may contain higher concentrations of fluoride than previously thought, which could pose problems for the heaviest tea drinkers, researchers say. ... > full story
New generation of biological scaffolds (July 14, 2010) -- Scientists in the UK are conducting research into how biological scaffolding can pave the way for off- the-shelf tissue transplants. ... > full story
Great apes 'play' tag to keep competitive advantage (July 14, 2010) -- Gorillas hit-and-run in 'games' of tag in the same way humans do and for the same reason -- to keep their competitive advantage, a new study has found. It is the first study to show apes, like humans, will hit a playmate then run in order to try to get away with the upper hand. ... > full story
New research on rapidly-disappearing ancient plant offers hope for species recovery (July 14, 2010) -- "Living fossil" cycads now number about 300 species, and many of these species are endangered, especially those on islands like Guam. New molecular research on a threatened species, Cycas micronesica, shows these plants are not relics and that there is hope in careful management of the remaining plants. ... > full story
Researchers fighting bacterial infections zero in on microorganism's soft spots (July 14, 2010) -- In any battle, sizing up one's opponent is a critical first step. For researchers fighting a bacterial infection, that means assessing every nook and cranny of the malicious microorganism and identifying which to attack. In Spain, scientists are devising maneuvers they hope will take out bacteria at their molecular knees, and they are optimistic a recent advance will yield therapies for a number of infections, including antibiotic-resistant strains delivering blow after blow across the globe. ... > full story
Ancient birds from North America colonized the South, thanks to Panama land bridge (July 14, 2010) -- Scientists studying ancient species migration believe northern birds had the ability to colonize continents that southern species lacked. The research reveals how the ancient 'land bridge' of Panama, which first connected North and South America, caused an uneven species migration, leading to a new understanding of species diversity today. ... > full story
Divide and conquer: Genes decide who wins in the body's battle against cancer (July 14, 2010) -- A landmark study is the first to identify a life-or-death "cell competition" process in mammalian tissue that suppresses cancer by causing cancerous cells to kill themselves. Central to the discovery was the researchers' identification of "Mahjong" -- a gene that can determine the winners of the competition through its close relationship with another powerful protein player. ... > full story
Nearly 5 percent exposed to dengue virus in Florida's Key West, report suggests (July 14, 2010) -- An estimated 5 percent of the Key West, Fla., population -- over 1,000 people -- showed evidence of recent exposure to dengue virus in 2009, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health. ... > full story
NASA's 3-D animation of Typhoon Conson's heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms (July 14, 2010) -- Imagine seeing a typhoon from space, and seeing it in three dimensions. That's what the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite can do with any typhoon, and just did with Typhoon Conson. TRMM's 3-D look at tropical cyclones provide scientists with information on the height of towering thunderstorms and the rate of rainfall in them, and Conson has high thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. ... > full story
Facial recognition at first glance: Humans and monkeys perceive faces of kin immediately (July 14, 2010) -- We meet a multitude of people on a daily basis: the nice waitress in the coffee shop around the corner, the bus driver or the colleagues at the office. Without the ability to recognize faces at first glance we would not be able to distinguish between people. Monkeys also possess the remarkable ability to differentiate faces of group members and to extract the relevant information about the individual directly from the face. ... > full story
What secrets are stored in the roots of corn plants? (July 14, 2010) -- With corn being a critical US crop expected to help feed livestock and people around the world and also be a source for the production of clean energy, plant breeders are continually seeking ways to make the plants more productive. To better understand the role corn roots play in this regard, an agricultural engineer and a crop scientist have teamed up to examine corn root complexity and how it impacts corn development. ... > full story
NASA releases GOES-13 satellite movie of the life and times of Hurricane Alex (July 14, 2010) -- NASA's GOES Project has just released a "movie" of satellite imagery showing the life and times of 2010's only June hurricane. From birth to death, the GOES-13 satellite kept an eye on the life and times of Hurricane Alex for two weeks in June 2010. ... > full story
Sea levels rising in parts of Indian Ocean; Greenhouse gases play role, study finds (July 13, 2010) -- Newly detected rising sea levels in parts of the Indian Ocean, including the coastlines of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Java, appear to be at least partly a result of human-induced increases of atmospheric greenhouse gases, according to a new study. ... > full story
Viscosity at the nanoscale: Intriguing 50-year-old puzzle solved (July 13, 2010) -- At a snail's pace – this is how proteins should move inside living cells where viscosity of environment exceeds the viscosity of water by a million times. However, proteins move not much slower than in water. While looking for a solution to this puzzle, scientists from Poland have discovered a new principle of physics. ... > full story
Report on controlling NASA mission costs (July 13, 2010) -- NASA should develop a broad, integrated strategy to contain costs and maintain schedules as earth and space science missions are planned and designed, says a new report by the National Research Council. ... > full story
Why you should never arm wrestle a saber-toothed tiger (July 13, 2010) -- Saber-toothed cats may be best known for their supersized canines, but they also had exceptionally strong forelimbs for pinning prey before delivering the fatal bite, says a new study. ... > full story
Whisker stimulation prevents strokes in rats; Stimulating fingers, lips and face may also work in humans (July 13, 2010) -- Talk about surviving by a whisker. The most common type of stroke can be completely prevented in rats by stimulating a single whisker, according to a new study. In people, stimulating the fingers, lips or face in general could all have a similar effect, researchers suggest. ... > full story
Salmon in hot water (July 13, 2010) -- Rearing juvenile salmon at the relatively high temperature of 16 C causes skeletal deformities in the fish. Researchers investigated both the magnitude and mechanisms of this effect, which occurs when salmon farmers use warmed water to increase fish growth rates. ... > full story
Fly's brain -- a high-speed computer: Neurobiologists use state-of-the-art methods to decode the basics of motion detection (July 13, 2010) -- The minute brains of flies process visual movements in only fractions of a second. Just how the brain of the fly manages to perceive motion with such speed and precision is predicted quite accurately by a mathematical model. ... > full story
New system to reduce heating costs in cold climates (July 13, 2010) -- A new type of heat pump under development could allow residents in cold climates to cut their heating bills in half. ... > full story
Africa's national parks hit by mammal declines (July 13, 2010) -- African national parks like Masai Mara and the Serengeti have seen populations of large mammals decline by up to 59 percent, according to a new study. ... > full story
Biofuel quest: Genome signatures enable tracking of algal complexity (July 13, 2010) -- Researchers have presented the 138-million-nucleotide genome of the multicellular alga Volvox carteri. Scientists are researching the complex mechanisms present in photosynthetic organisms to better understand how they convert sunlight to energy and how photosynthetic cells control their metabolic processes so that this information can inform the production of renewable biofuels. ... > full story
Baby brain growth mirrors changes from apes to humans (July 13, 2010) -- A study undertaken to help scientists concerned with abnormal brain development in premature babies has serendipitously revealed evolution's imprint on the human brain. Scientists found that the human brain regions that grow the most during infancy and childhood are nearly identical to the brain regions with the most changes when human brains are compared to those of apes and monkeys. ... > full story
Salsa and guacamole increasingly important causes of foodborne disease (July 13, 2010) -- Nearly one out of every 25 restaurant-associated food-borne outbreaks with identified food sources between 1998 and 2008 can be traced back to contaminated salsa or guacamole, more than double the rate during the previous decade, according to new research. ... > full story
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
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