The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, June 11, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, June 11, 2011

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Biologists uncover regulatory mechanism for gene expression in the visual system (June 10, 2011) -- Biologists have uncovered a key regulatory mechanism used for gene expression in the visual system. Their findings offer new insights into the complexity behind the genetic make-up of biological systems. ... > full story

Two isolates from E. coli outbreak sequenced (June 10, 2011) -- An outbreak of Escherichia coli causing a severe illness called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) began in Germany on May 2, 2011 and has killed more than 20 people and sickened more than 2,000. The organism causing the outbreak has been identified as a strain of E. coli O104:H4 that produces a Shiga toxin and causes an illness similar to infection with E. coli O157:H7. Two isolates from this outbreak have been sequenced. Both strains, TY-2482 and LB226692, have been annotated. ... > full story

Landsat satellite images compare before and after Massachusetts tornado (June 10, 2011) -- Satellites provide a lot of useful information and the Landsat 5 satellite captured an image of the long damage track created on June 1, 2011, when a tornado tracked from Springfield to Sturbridge, Mass. An earlier image is now available from 2010 that enables people to more clearly see the damage path the June 2011 twister created on its eastward track. ... > full story

Fighting oil-spills with air-bubbles (June 10, 2011) -- Curtains of air-bubbles are turning out to be a new method of fighting oil-spills. The bubbles gather up the oil efficiently, even in winds and strong currents, and keep it together in a "pool". ... > full story

New parallelization technique boosts computers' ability to model biological systems (June 10, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new technique for using multi-core chips more efficiently, significantly enhancing a computer's ability to build computer models of biological systems. The technique improved the efficiency of algorithms used to build models of biological systems more than seven-fold, creating more realistic models that can account for uncertainty and biological variation. This could impact research areas ranging from drug development to the engineering of biofuels. ... > full story

NASA's 'Age of Aquarius' dawns with California launch (June 10, 2011) -- NASA's 'Age of Aquarius' has dawned with the launch of an international satellite carrying the agency-built Aquarius instrument that will measure the saltiness of Earth's oceans to advance our understanding of the global water cycle and improve climate forecasts. ... > full story

Venice to suffer fewer storm surges (June 10, 2011) -- Venice -- the "City of Dreams" -- may have one less nightmare to deal with following a finding that the frequency of extreme storm surge events generated by Adriatic Sea tempests could fall by about 30 percent by 2100. ... > full story

Meteorite holds clues to organic chemistry of early Earth (June 10, 2011) -- Carbonaceous chondrites are organic-rich meteorites that contain samples of the materials that took part in the creation of our planets nearly 4.6 billion years ago. The complex suite of organic materials found in carbonaceous chondrites can vary substantially. New research shows that most of these variations are the result of hydrothermal activity that took place within a few million years of the solar system's formation, when the meteorites were still part of larger bodies. ... > full story

How cells' sensing hairs are made (June 10, 2011) -- New research provides insights into how sensory hairs, or cilia, on the surface of cells are assembled. ... > full story

Adjustable valves gave ancient plants the edge (June 10, 2011) -- Controlling water loss is an important ability for modern land plants as it helps them thrive in changing environments. New research shows that water conserving innovations occurred very early in plants' evolutionary history. ... > full story

Chemists devise better way to prepare workhorse molecules (June 10, 2011) -- Scientists report a new environmentally friendly way to make substituted aromatic molecules that can be customized for different industrial needs. ... > full story

Saving wildlife with forensic genetics (June 10, 2011) -- Using forensic genetics techniques, the University of Arizona's Conservation Genetics Lab is working to protect wild animals and catch the criminals in cases of wildlife crime. ... > full story