The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Tuesday, May 3, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Tuesday, May 3, 2011

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Winners of mass extinction: With predators gone, prey thrive (May 3, 2011) -- In modern ecology, the removal or addition of a predator to an ecosystem can produce dramatic changes in the population of prey species. For the first time, scientists have observed the same dynamics in the fossil record, thanks to a mass extinction that decimated ocean life 360 million years ago. ... > full story

Caves and their dripstones reveal the uplift of mountains (May 3, 2011) -- Geologists from Austria and the UK report on ancient cave systems discovered near the summits of the Allgäu Mountains that preserved the oldest radiometrically dated dripstones currently known from the European Alps. ... > full story

A billion tons of biomass a viable goal, but at high price, new research shows (May 3, 2011) -- Very high yield biomass would be needed in order to meet the ambitious goal of replacing 30 percent of petroleum consumption in the US with biofuels by 2030. But according to researchers, unless biomass prices are really high, high yield perennial grasses are going to have a hard time competing with crops like corn, soybean and wheat for the prime agricultural land they require. ... > full story

Model of island ecology sheds new light on the origins of island species (May 2, 2011) -- Animal and bird species found only on a single island should still be common within that island. ... > full story

Lesser-known Escherichia coli types targeted in food safety research (May 2, 2011) -- Almost everyone knows about Escherichia coli O157:H7, the culprit behind many headline-making outbreaks of foodborne illness in the United States. But the lesser-known relatives of this pathogenic microbe are increasingly of concern to food safety scientists. ... > full story

Washing with contaminated soap increases bacteria on hands, research finds (May 2, 2011) -- People who wash their hands with contaminated soap from bulk-soap-refillable dispensers can increase the number of disease-causing microbes on their hands and may play a role in transmission of bacteria in public settings, according to new research. ... > full story

Endogenous proteins found in a 70-million-year-old giant marine lizard (May 2, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered primary biological matter in a fossil of an extinct varanoid lizard (a mosasaur) that inhabited marine environments during Late Cretaceous times. Using state-of-the-art technology, the scientists have been able to link proteinaceous molecules to bone matrix fibres isolated from a 70-million-year-old fossil -- that is, they have found genuine remains of an extinct animal entombed in stone. ... > full story

Rare deep-sea starfish stuck in juvenile body plan (May 2, 2011) -- Scientists have combined embryological observations, genetic sequencing, and supercomputing to determine that small disk-shaped animals that once were thought to represent a new class of animals are actually starfish that have lost the large star-shaped, adult body from their life cycle. A computational biologists used a supercomputer to help support his contention that class-level status of Xyloplax does not reflect their evolutionary history. ... > full story

Eddies found to be deep, powerful modes of ocean transport connecting atmospheric events and deep ocean (May 2, 2011) -- Massive, swirling ocean eddies -- known to be up to 500 kilometers across at the surface -- can reach all the way to the ocean bottom at mid-ocean ridges, some 2,500 meters deep, transporting tiny sea creatures, chemicals, and heat from hydrothermal vents over large distances. ... > full story

Chemical in plastic, BPA, exposure may be associated with wheezing in children (May 2, 2011) -- Exposure to the chemical bisphenol A during early pregnancy may be associated with wheezing in children, according to new research. ... > full story

New material could improve safety for first responders to chemical hazards (May 2, 2011) -- Carbon nanofibers with the same chemical properties as the activated charcoal used in respirators have a similar ability to absorb chemical pollutants. Their photonic structure means that they will change color as pollutants accumulate, a warning that the filter canister has lost effectiveness. Researchers describe how they made the microsensors and demonstrate their ability to detect volatile organic compounds. ... > full story

Ancestors of land plants revealed (May 2, 2011) -- It was previously thought that land plants evolved from stonewort-like algae. However, new research shows that the closest relatives to land plants are actually conjugating green algae such as Spirogyra. ... > full story

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

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