The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Friday, May 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Friday, May 6, 2011

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Succulent plants waited for cool, dry Earth to make their mark (May 6, 2011) -- Between five and 10 million years ago, the landscape on Earth changed dramatically. Biologists and colleagues have determined that cacti exploded onto the global scene then, about the same geologic time as other succulent plants and tropical grasses. The trigger: A global period marked by cooling and increased aridity, possibly with lowered atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. ... > full story

Drug-resistance fears for deadly fungal disease (May 6, 2011) -- Deadly human fungal infections caused by certain strains of Aspergillus fungi appear to be developing resistance to current drug treatments at an alarming rate, say scientists. ... > full story

Capt. Kidd shipwreck site to be dedicated 'Living Museum of the Sea' (May 6, 2011) -- Nearly three years after the discovery of the shipwreck Quedagh Merchant, abandoned by the scandalous 17th century pirate Captain William Kidd, the underwater site will be dedicated as a "Living Museum of the Sea". ... > full story

Why more species live in Amazon rainforests: Evolution of treefrogs sheds light on the mystery (May 6, 2011) -- For more than two hundred years, the question of why there are more species in the tropics has been a biological enigma. A particularly perplexing aspect is why so many species live together in a small area in the tropics, especially at some sites in the rainforests of the Amazon Basin in South America. New research on the evolution and ecology of treefrogs sheds new light on the puzzle. ... > full story

Precipitation, predators may be key in ecological regulation of infectious disease (May 6, 2011) -- Ecologists have shown that just three ecological factors -- rainfall, predator diversity, and island size and shape -- can account for nearly all of the differences in infection rates among the eight Channel Islands off the California coast. ... > full story

Can social deficits of autism and schizophrenia be modeled in animals? (May 6, 2011) -- Social deficits are common in several psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Individuals with severe social dysfunction can experience significant difficulties with everyday functioning. Now, scientists have further characterized a mouse model that provides some insights into biological factors related to social deficits, by comparing mice that had their oxytocin receptor gene made inactive, using a specialized technique called genetic knockout, with unaltered mice. ... > full story

Expert panel calls for 'transforming US agriculture': Changes in markets, policies and science needed for more sustainable farming (May 5, 2011) -- A group of leading scientists, economists and farmers is calling for a broad shift in federal policies to speed They say current policies focus on the production of a few crops and a minority of farmers while failing to address farming's contribution to global warming, biodiversity loss, natural resource degradation and public health problems. ... > full story

Corn gene provides resistance to multiple diseases, study shows (May 5, 2011) -- Researchers have found a specific gene in corn that appears to be associated with resistance to three important plant leaf diseases. ... > full story

Reptile 'cousins' shed new light on end-Permian extinction (May 5, 2011) -- The end-Permian extinction, by far the most dramatic biological crisis to affect life on Earth, may not have been as catastrophic for some creatures as previously thought, according to a new study. ... > full story

Hunting for deadly bacteria (May 5, 2011) -- Biochemists have developed a simple test that can swiftly and accurately identify specific pathogens using a system that will "hunt" for bacteria, identifying their harmful presence before they have a chance to contaminate our food and water. ... > full story

Worm discovery could help one billion people worldwide (May 5, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered why some people may be protected from harmful parasitic worms naturally while others cannot in what could lead to new therapies for up to one billion people worldwide. ... > full story

Small sea birds hold heat rather than cranking up the furnace (May 5, 2011) -- A new study offers some clues about how small aquatic birds survive in extremely cold climates. ... > full story

What lies beneath the seafloor? Results from first microbial subsurface observatory experiment (May 5, 2011) -- An international team of scientists report on the first observatory experiment to study the microbial life of an ever-changing environment inside Earth's crust. ... > full story

Turning 'bad' fat into 'good': A future treatment for obesity? (May 5, 2011) -- By knocking down the expression of a protein in rat brains known to stimulate eating, researchers say they not only reduced the animals' calorie intake and weight, but also transformed their fat into a type that burns off more energy. The finding could lead to better obesity treatments for humans, the scientists report. ... > full story

Air pollution near Michigan schools linked to poorer student health, academic performance (May 5, 2011) -- Air pollution from industrial sources near Michigan public schools jeopardizes children's health and academic success, according to a new study. ... > full story

Evolutionary lessons for wind farm efficiency (May 5, 2011) -- Evolution is providing the inspiration for computer science research in Australia to find the best placement of turbines to increase wind farm productivity. ... > full story

Horsetail plant developed successful set of tools for extreme environments -- for millions of years (May 5, 2011) -- Over 100 million years ago, the understory of late Mesozoic forests was dominated by a diverse group of plants of the class Equisetopsida. Today, only one genus from this group, Equisetum (also known as horsetail or scouring rush), exists -- and it is a prime candidate for being the oldest extant genus of land plant. The authors of this study showed that the plant developed a successful set of tools for life in extreme environments and has maintained them for millions of years. ... > full story

Estimated costs of environmental disease in children at .6 billion per year (May 5, 2011) -- In three new studies, researchers reveal the staggering economic impact of toxic chemicals and air pollutants in the environment, and propose new legislation to mandate testing of new chemicals and also those already on the market. ... > full story

California's draft Bay Delta conservation plan needs better integration to be more scientifically credible, report finds (May 5, 2011) -- A draft plan to conserve habitat for endangered and threatened fishes in the California Bay-Delta while continuing to divert water for agricultural and personal use in central and southern California has critical missing components, including clearly defined goals and a scientific analysis of the proposed project's potential impacts on delta species, says a new report from the National Research Council. ... > full story

Genome duplication encourages rapid adaptation of plants (May 4, 2011) -- A biologist has found that at least some plant adaptations can occur almost instantaneously, not by a change in DNA sequence, but simply by duplication of existing genetic material. ... > full story

Economic analysis updated for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (May 4, 2011) -- The US Geological Survey assessment on the economic recoverability of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and adjacent state waters is now available. Economically recoverable resources are those that can be sold at a price that covers the costs of discovery, development, production and transportation to the market. The new economic analysis estimates that approximately 273 million barrels of undiscovered oil are economically recoverable at an oil price of per barrel (comparable to per thousand cubic feet of gas). About 500 million barrels of undiscovered oil are economically recoverable at per barrel (comparable to per thousand cubic feet of gas). ... > full story

Unlocking the metabolic secrets of the microbiome (May 4, 2011) -- The number of bacterial cells living in and on our bodies outnumbers our own cells ten to one. But the identity of all those bugs and just what exactly our relationship to all of them really is remains rather fuzzy. Now, researchers have new evidence showing the metabolic impact of all those microbes in mice, and on their colons in particular. ... > full story

Technique developed for measuring stressed molecules in cells (May 4, 2011) -- Biophysicists have helped develop a new technique for studying how proteins respond to physical stress and have applied it to better understand the stability-granting structures in normal and mutated red blood cells. ... > full story

Chronic fatigue syndrome not related to XMRV retrovirus, comprehensive study finds (May 4, 2011) -- New findings show that the retrovirus called XMRV is not present in the blood of patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). These findings contradict a widely reported 2009 Science study that linked CFS to XMRV. ... > full story

Marine snails get a metabolism boost (May 4, 2011) -- Most of us wouldn't consider slow-moving snails to be high-metabolism creatures. But at one point in the distant past, snail metabolism sped up, according to a new study of marine snails. ... > full story

Battle scars found on an ancient sea monster (May 4, 2011) -- Scars on the jaw of a 120-million-year-old marine reptile suggest that life might not have been easy in the ancient polar oceans. The healed bite wounds were probably made by a member of the same species. Such injuries give important clues about the social behavior of extinct sea creatures from the time of dinosaurs. ... > full story

Natural protection against radiation (May 4, 2011) -- In the midst of ongoing concerns about radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, scientists are reporting that a substance similar to resveratrol -- an antioxidant found in red wine, grapes and nuts -- could protect against radiation sickness. ... > full story

Portable tech might provide drinking water, power to villages (May 4, 2011) -- Researchers have developed an aluminum alloy that could be used in a new type of mobile technology to convert non-potable water into drinking water while also extracting hydrogen to generate electricity. ... > full story

New evidence that caffeine is a healthful antioxidant in coffee (May 4, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting an in-depth analysis of how the caffeine in coffee, tea and other foods seems to protect against conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and heart disease on the most fundamental levels. ... > full story

Climbers leave rare plants' genetic variation on the rocks (May 4, 2011) -- Rock climbers are having a negative impact on rare cliff-dwelling plants, ecologists have found. In areas popular with climbers, conservation management plans should be drawn up so that some cliffs are protected from climbers, experts urge. ... > full story

Effects of climate change in Arctic more extensive than expected, report finds (May 4, 2011) -- A much reduced covering of snow, shorter winter season and thawing tundra: The effects of climate change in the Arctic are already here. And the changes are taking place significantly faster than previously thought, according to a new research report on the Arctic. ... > full story

Cola detectives test natural flavoring claims for pricey soft drinks (May 4, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of a new way to determine whether cola drinks -- advertised as being made with natural ingredients and sold at premium prices -- really do contain natural flavoring. ... > full story

Marsupial wolf or Tasmanian tiger? Extinct Australian thylacine was more cat than dog, researchers find (May 4, 2011) -- Was the iconic, extinct creature that once roamed Australia a marsupial wolf or a Tasmanian tiger? By examining bones, researchers have shown that the thylacine was an ambush-style predator that was unable to outrun prey over long distances. This hunting approach differs from wolves and other dog-like species that hunt in packs and pursue. ... > full story

Mouse study turns fat-loss/longevity link on its head (May 4, 2011) -- Food restriction in 41 different strains of mice showed that, contrary to a widely held view, the animals' loss of fat did not necessarily result in longer life. ... > full story

Climate change analysis predicts increased fatalities from heat waves (May 4, 2011) -- Global climate change is anticipated to bring more extreme weather phenomena such as heat waves that could impact human health in the coming decades. A new analysis has calculated that the city of Chicago could experience between 166 and 2,217 excess deaths per year attributable to heat waves using three different climate change scenarios for the final decades of the 21st century. ... > full story

Market lighting affects nutrients in salad greens, researchers find (May 4, 2011) -- Many people reach toward the back of the fresh-produce shelf to find the freshest salad greens with the latest expiration dates. But a new study by agriculture scientists may prompt consumers to instead look for packages that receive the greatest exposure to light -- usually those found closest to the front. ... > full story

First rainforests arose when plants solved plumbing problem (May 4, 2011) -- A team of scientists has discovered that leaves of flowering plants in the world's first rainforests had more veins per unit area than leaves ever had before. They suggest that this increased the amount of water available to the leaves, making it possible for plants to capture more carbon and grow larger. A better plumbing system may also have radically altered water and carbon movement through forests, driving environmental change. ... > full story

Tiger-parrots show their true evolutionary stripes (May 4, 2011) -- New genetic research is helping scientists better understand how Australian birds evolved. ... > full story

Rotational grazing in native pasturelands benefits wildlife (May 4, 2011) -- Rotational grazing of cattle in native pasturelands in Brazil's Pantanal and Cerrado regions can benefit both cattle and wildlife, according to a new study. ... > full story

Chesapeake Bay program's two-year milestones improve upon past strategies, but accounting of progress remains a challenge (May 4, 2011) -- The Chesapeake Bay Program is a cooperative partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and jurisdictions in the bay watershed to oversee the restoration of the bay, with a major focus on controlling the extent of pollutants -- such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment -- entering it. A new report assesses the framework used by these partners for tracking pollution control practices and their two-year milestone strategy, which complements longer-term efforts to comply with the total maximum daily load of pollutants that the EPA allows in the Chesapeake Bay. ... > full story

Ecology: Undergraduate institutions should play larger research role, experts say (May 4, 2011) -- In a new article, a group of 12 biology educators at US colleges and universities that teach mostly undergraduates argues for coordinating networks to expand the study and teaching of ecology conducted at these institutions. The group, which has launched a network dedicated to continental-scale observations, argues that better coordination of current research efforts will allow "transformative contributions" cost-effectively, while also providing valuable educational experiences for undergraduates. ... > full story

Keeping oysters, clams and mussels safe to eat (May 3, 2011) -- Eating raw or undercooked mollusks may pose a safety hazard if they are harvested from waters polluted with pathogenic microbes, so scientists are studying ways to enhance the food safety of these popular shellfish. For example, a molecular biologist in Dover is exploring new techniques that will decontaminate mollusks while protecting the seafood's flavor, texture and color. ... > full story

Formidable fungal force counters biofuel plant pathogens (May 3, 2011) -- An international team of researchers has compared two rust fungal genomes to identify the characteristics by which these pathogens can invade their plant hosts and to develop biocontrol methods. ... > full story

Rice's origins point to China, genome researchers conclude (May 3, 2011) -- Rice originated in China, a team of genome researchers has concluded in a study tracing back thousands of years of evolutionary history through large-scale gene re-sequencing. Their findings indicate that domesticated rice may have first appeared as far back as approximately 9,000 years ago in the Yangtze Valley of China. ... > full story

Saving the Asiatic wild ass in the Mongolian Gobi (May 3, 2011) -- Considerable attention is currently being paid to the conservation of migratory birds, as such species may face threats not only in their breeding and wintering areas but also en route between them. But many mammals are also migratory and because most of them are unable to fly they face a number of additional challenges to survive. ... > full story

Scientists track evolution and spread of deadly fungus, one of the world's major killers (May 3, 2011) -- New research has shed light on the origins of a fungal infection which is one of the major causes of death from AIDS-related illnesses. The study shows how the more virulent forms of Cryptococcus neoformans evolved and spread out of Africa and into Asia. ... > full story

Early history of genetics revised: New light shed on 'rediscovery' of Mendel's laws of heredity (May 3, 2011) -- The early history of genetics has to be re-written in the light of new findings, new research suggests. Scientists in Europe have found out that the traditional history of the 'rediscovery' of Gregor Johann Mendel's laws of heredity in 1900 has to be adjusted and some facets have to be added. ... > full story

Shootingstars provide clues to likely response of plants to global warming (May 3, 2011) -- Researchers delved into the post-Pleistocene history of two rare species of shootingstars (Dodecatheon), thinking that their response to post-glacial warming might provide clues to the response of plants to global warming. They found that one species was a glacial relict but the other was an ecotype, or variant, of a widespread species that had adapted to the cooler cliff habitat. ... > full story