The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Monday, May 2, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Monday, May 2, 2011

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Several baffling puzzles in protein molecular structure solved with new method (May 2, 2011) -- A protein's molecular structure shapes its function. The structures of many protein molecules however, remain unsolved even after experts apply an extensive array of approaches. An international collaboration has led to a new, high-performance method that rapidly determined the structure of protein molecules in several cases where previous methods had failed. Protein structure information is useful in disease research, nanotechnology, and drug design, among other fields. ... > full story

Actin filaments, cellular 'workhorses,' caught in action (May 2, 2011) -- Scientists have succeeded in showing the breakup of actin filaments, the thread-like structures inside cells that are crucial to their movement, maintenance and division. ... > full story

Biocontrol: Fungus and wasps released to control emerald ash borer (May 2, 2011) -- Scientists are making an effort to contain the emerald ash borer's destructive march through U.S. forests. Researchers are testing a fungal pathogen that could be used as a biocontrol, along with the release of non-stinging wasps that are the beetle's natural enemies. Wasps have now been released in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland, and releases are planned in several other states. ... > full story

Animal-assisted therapy decreases patient anxiety in pre-MRI setting, study suggests (May 2, 2011) -- Patients who undergo MRI often suffer from elevated anxiety. Patient discomfort may cause poor image quality due to motion artifacts or early termination. Anxiolytic medications are currently used to reduce this anticipated anxiety, but animal-assisted therapy may be a non-invasive alternative treatment with fewer adverse effects, according to new research. ... > full story

Scorpion venom: Bad for bugs, good for pesticides (May 1, 2011) -- Fables have long cast scorpions as bad-natured killers of hapless turtles that naively agree to ferry them across rivers. Scientists, however, see them in a different light. Insect toxicologists and neurobiologists have studied the effects of scorpion venom with the hopes of finding new ways to protect plants from bugs. The results have revealed new ways in which the venom works. ... > full story

Spiders in space: Researchers observe arachnid habits in a microgravity environment (May 1, 2011) -- The very idea of spiders in space brings to mind campy, black and white horror films involving eight-legged monsters. In actuality, it is a scientific investigation called Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus Science Insert-05 or CSI-05, in which researchers observe arachnid habits in a microgravity environment. This is the second spider investigation on the International Space Station -- the first was CSI-03 -- and researchers have high hopes that the sequel will eclipse the original. ... > full story

Cells send signals via membrane nanotubes (May 1, 2011) -- A new research discovery may help to explain how cells cooperate to develop tissue in the embryo and how wounds heal. Last year researchers discovered that electrical signals were being passed through nanotubes from one cell to another at high speed (roughly 1-2 m/sec). Now the scientists are seeking answers as to why the cells send signals to each other in this way. The process could explain how cells are coordinated during embryo growth, researchers say. ... > full story

Chemical found in crude oil linked to congenital heart disease: Fetal exposure to solvents may damage heart (May 1, 2011) -- While it may be years before the health effects of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are known, a new study shows that fetal exposure to a chemical found in crude oil is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart disease. ... > full story

NASA building instrument to study magnetic reconnection (May 1, 2011) -- Whether it's a giant solar flare or a beautiful green-blue aurora, just about everything interesting in space weather happens due to a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. Several spacecraft have already sent back tantalizing data when they happened to witness a magnetic reconnection event in Earth's magnetosphere. However, there are no spacecraft currently dedicated to the study of this phenomenon, yet. Scientists and engineers are now working on a crucial element of the Magnetospheric Multiscale instrument suite: the Fast Plasma Instrument. ... > full story

'Explosive' evolution in pupfish (May 1, 2011) -- Two groups of small fish, one from a Caribbean island and one from the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, exhibit some of the fastest rates of evolution known in any organism, according to a new study. ... > full story

Thinking outside the column: New insights into brain structure reveal new facets of information processing in nervous system (May 1, 2011) -- For more than 50 years, a dominating assumption in brain research was that nerve cells in the cortex of the brain are organized in the form of microscopically small columns. Subsequently, it became a textbook standard that connections are created predominantly between nerve cells within these columns. Researchers now show that this view has to be revised: input from cells that lie outside this column plays a much more important role than previously assumed. ... > full story

Database on environmental impact of major urban ecosystems created (May 1, 2011) -- An innovative study examines the environmental impact of major urban ecosystems. The team researched such details as airplane and motor vehicle travel, paper and plastic use, recycling and waste disposal, household utility records, and on-site measurements of vegetation and landscape. ... > full story

Plant extract may be new therapy for hay fever, study suggests (April 30, 2011) -- Fighting hay fever with a plant extract? It works, as was shown in a new clinical study. Allergic symptoms were alleviated significantly better than with the usual histamine receptor antagonists. ... > full story

Genes control fruit flies' social groupings (April 30, 2011) -- A new study reveals how a fruit fly's genes can influence the company it keeps. Using male flies that had been bred for varying levels of aggressiveness, researchers observed how the males formed groups when placed into an enclosure with females. ... > full story

Wild hogs: Researchers examine impact of feral pigs in eastern North Carolina (April 30, 2011) -- America's feral pig population continues to expand, increasing the potential for interaction with humans and domestic swine -- and for spreading diseases. Researchers at North Carolina State University examined feral pigs from eastern North Carolina to determine exposure to two parasites that can be transmitted from animals to people -- Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Trichinella. ... > full story

Through unique eyes, box jellyfish look out to the world above the water (April 30, 2011) -- Box jellyfish may seem like rather simple creatures, but in fact their visual system is anything but. They've got no fewer than 24 eyes of four different kinds. Now, researchers have evidence revealing that four of those eyes always peer up out of the water, regardless of the way the rest of the animal is oriented. ... > full story

New solar cell technology greatly boosts efficiency (April 29, 2011) -- With the creation of a 3-D nanocone-based solar cell platform, scientists have boosted the light-to-power conversion efficiency of photovoltaics by nearly 80 percent. ... > full story

Mutant mouse reveals new wrinkle in genetic code (April 29, 2011) -- Call it a mystery with a stubby tail: an odd-looking mouse discovered through a US government breeding program in the 1940s that had a short, kinky tail and an extra set of ribs in its neck -- and nobody knew why. ... > full story

Identifying beaked whale foraging habitat in the Bahamas (April 29, 2011) -- Marine biologists have found that oceanographic and prey measurements can be used to identify beaked whale foraging habitat. ... > full story

When a salad is not a salad: Why are dieters easily misled by food names? (April 29, 2011) -- Dieters are so involved with trying to eat virtuously that they are more likely than non-dieters to choose unhealthy foods that are labeled as healthy, according to a new study. It seems dieter focus on food names can work to their disadvantage. ... > full story

Monkeys, too, can recollect what they've seen, study suggests (April 29, 2011) -- It's one thing to recognize your childhood home when you see it in a photograph and quite another to accurately describe or draw a picture of it based on your recollection of how it looked. A new report offers some of the first clear evidence that monkeys, like humans, have the capacity for both forms of memory. ... > full story

NASA technology looks inside Japan's nuclear reactor (April 29, 2011) -- Design techniques honed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for Mars rovers were used to create the rover currently examining the inside of Japan's nuclear reactors, in areas not yet deemed safe for human crews. ... > full story

How do white blood cells detect invaders to destroy? (April 29, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered how a molecular receptor on the surface of white blood cells identifies when invading fungi have established direct contact with the cell surface and pose an infectious threat. ... > full story

Ivory-billed woodpecker sighted and recorded (April 29, 2011) -- Scientists working independently in three states have now published articles that report multiple sightings of and various forms of evidence for this elusive species, which is extremely difficult to observe and photograph due to its rarity, wariness, and tendency to roam over wide areas in remote swamp habitat. During two encounters with an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, one researcher heard high-pitched calls that seem to match the description of an alarm call that was reported by James Tanner in the 1930s but was never recorded. ... > full story

Super-fruits: Tropical blueberries extremely high in healthful antioxidants, study suggests (April 29, 2011) -- The first analysis of the healthful antioxidant content of blueberries that grow wild in Mexico, Central and South America concludes that some of these fruits have even more healthful antioxidants than the blueberries -- already renowned as "super fruits" -- sold throughout the United States. These extreme super fruits could provide even more protection against heart disease, cancer and other conditions, the report suggests. ... > full story

Link between theta rhythm and ability of animals to track location probed (April 29, 2011) -- New research supports the hypothesis that spatial coding by grid cells requires theta rhythm oscillations, and dissociates the mechanisms underlying the generation of entorhinal grid cell periodicity and head-direction selectivity. ... > full story

Jump in communication skills led to species explosion in electric fishes (April 29, 2011) -- The Mormyridae, a family of African fishes that communicate by means of weak electric discharges, has more than 200 species. New work shows the fishes evolved a complex signal-processing brain before a burst of speciation. Together with other evidence the finding suggests brain evolution triggered diversification. ... > full story

Mapping pollutant threats to sea turtles: Satellite tracking reveals potential threat posed by human-made chemicals (April 29, 2011) -- Persistent organic pollutants are consistently showing up in the blood and eggs of loggerhead sea turtles, and the turtles accumulate more of the contaminant chemicals the farther they travel up the Atlantic coast. The pollutants may pose a threat to the survival of this endangered species, according to experts. ... > full story

International trade may offset reported carbon emission reductions (April 29, 2011) -- An increasing share of global emissions is from the production of internationally traded goods and services, according to a new study. Due to current reporting practices, this has allowed some countries to increase their carbon footprints while reporting stabilized emissions. ... > full story

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have evolved a unique chemical mechanism, new discovery reveals (April 29, 2011) -- For the first time, scientists have been able to paint a detailed chemical picture of how a particular strain of bacteria has evolved to become resistant to antibiotics. The research is a key step toward designing compounds to prevent infections by the recently evolved, drug-resistant "superbugs" that are infecting hospitalized patients and others. ... > full story

Improved recovery of samples from biohazard events (April 29, 2011) -- In a recent paper, Researchers studied different methods for collecting, extracting and quantifying microbial spores from indoor surfaces to estimate parameters that should be considered in the development of a standard biological sampling protocol. A precise and reliable recovery system is critical to evaluating the success of cleanup efforts following an accidental biohazard contamination or bioterrorist attack (such as the aanthrax spore-laden letters sent to Congress and elsewhere in 2001). ... > full story

Early warning signal for ecosystem collapse: Fluctuations before the fall (April 28, 2011) -- Researchers eavesdropping on complex signals emanating from a remote Wisconsin lake have detected what they say is an unmistakable warning -- a death knell -- of the impending collapse of the lake's aquatic ecosystem. Researchers have found that models used to assess catastrophic changes in economic and medical systems can also predict environmental collapse. Stock market crashes, epileptic seizures, and ecological breakdowns are all preceded by a measurable increase in variance --- be it fluctuations in brain waves, the Dow Jones index, or, in the case of the Wisconsin lake, chlorophyll. ... > full story

Plenty more fish in the sea? New method for measuring biomass reveals fish stocks are more stable than widely believed (April 28, 2011) -- Fish and marine species are among the most threatened wildlife on earth, due partly to over exploitation by fishing fleets. Yet there are differences in assessing trends in worldwide fishing stocks which, researchers argue, stem from inappropriate use of time trends in catches. ... > full story

As the worm turns, its secrets are revealed (April 28, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new method for discerning the functions of previously uncharacterized genes and placing them in interactive, functional networks that reveal how gene products interact to bring about cellular events. ... > full story

Social bonding in prairie voles helps guide search for autism treatments (April 28, 2011) -- Researchers are focusing on prairie voles as a new model to screen the effectiveness of drugs to treat autism. They are starting with D-cycloserine, a drug resarchers have shown enhances behavioral therapy for phobias and also promotes pair bonding among prairie voles. Giving female voles D-cycloserine, which is thought to facilitate learning and memory, can encourage them to bond with a new male more quickly than usual. ... > full story

From the beginning, the brain knows the difference between night and day (April 28, 2011) -- The brain is apparently programmed from birth to develop the ability to determine sunrise and sunset, according to new research on circadian rhythms that research sheds new light on brain plasticity and may explain some basic human behaviors. ... > full story

Mutations in single gene may have shaped human cerebral cortex (April 28, 2011) -- The size and shape of the human cerebral cortex, an evolutionary marvel responsible for everything from Shakespeare's poetry to the atomic bomb, are largely influenced by mutations in a single gene, according to new research. ... > full story

Fish livers contain beneficial fatty acids, study suggests (April 28, 2011) -- The fishing industry usually discards fish livers, but a team of researchers has confirmed that they are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial to health. Anchovies are one of the fish whose livers contain the highest levels of these substances. ... > full story

Two unsuspected proteins may hold the key to creating artificial chromosomes (April 28, 2011) -- Scientists report that two proteins once thought to have only supporting roles, are the true "stars" of the kinetochore assembly process in human cells. The kinetochore is vital to proper DNA distribution during cell division. This finding suggests that scientists may be able to stimulate kinetochore assembly in a process that could lead to new genetic research tools, such as efficient creation of artificial human chromosomes. ... > full story

Get a whiff of this: Low-cost sensor can diagnose bacterial infections (April 28, 2011) -- Bacterial infections really stink. And that could be the key to a fast diagnosis. Researchers have demonstrated a quick, simple method to identify infectious bacteria by smell using a low-cost array of printed pigments as a chemical sensor. In only a few hours, the array not only confirms the presence of bacteria, but identifies a specific species and strain. It even can recognize antibiotic resistance -- a key factor in treatment decisions. ... > full story

Scientists can track origin of shark fins using 'zip codes' in their DNA (April 28, 2011) -- Scientists have used DNA to determine that groups of dusky sharks and copper sharks living in different coastal regions across the globe are separate populations of each species. ... > full story

Record number of whales, krill found in Antarctic bays (April 28, 2011) -- Scientists have observed a "super aggregation" of more than 300 humpback whales gorging on the largest swarm of Antarctic krill seen in more than 20 years in bays along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. ... > full story

Animals have personalities, too, bird study suggests (April 28, 2011) -- An individual's personality can have a big effect on their life. Some people are outgoing and gregarious while others find novel situations stressful which can be detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Increasingly, scientists are discovering that animals are no different. ... > full story

NASA mission seeks to uncover a rainfall mystery (April 28, 2011) -- Scientists are on a mission to unlock the mysteries of why certain clouds produce copious amounts of rain. In a field mission that is now under way, aircraft are carrying instruments above and into rain clouds. Meanwhile scientists are also getting rainfall measurements on the ground. ... > full story

Indigenous cases of leprosy found in the Southern United States: Human contamination through contact with armadillos (April 28, 2011) -- Using advanced DNA analysis and extensive field work, an international research team has confirmed the link between leprosy infection in Americans and direct contact with armadillos. Clear evidence was found that a never-before-seen strain of Mycobacterium leprae has emerged in the Southern United States and that it is transmitted through contact with armadillos carrying the disease. ... > full story

Geologists solve mystery of the Colorado Plateau (April 28, 2011) -- Scientists have figured out why the Colorado Plateau -- a 130,000-square-mile region that straddles Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico -- is rising even while parts of its lower crust appear to be falling. The massive, tectonically stable region of the western United States has long puzzled geologists. ... > full story

Novel microorganism 'Nitrososphaera viennensis' isolated (April 28, 2011) -- Microorganisms play an important role in global nutrient cycles. A research team has isolated the first ammonium oxidizing Archaeon from a soil in Vienna and thus proved its activity. ... > full story

A surprise: China’s energy consumption will stabilize (April 28, 2011) -- Well before 2050, China's energy use will level off, even as its population edges past 1.4 billion, according to a new study. There will come a time -- within the next two decades -- when the number of people in China acquiring cars, larger homes, and other accouterments of industrialized societies will peak. Between 2030 and 2035, the steeply rising curve of energy demand in China will begin to moderate and flatten thereafter. ... > full story

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