The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, June 18, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, June 18, 2011

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Tapeworm drug inhibits colon cancer metastasis (June 17, 2011) -- A compound that for about 60 years has been used as a drug against tapeworm infection is also apparently effective against colon cancer metastasis, as studies using mice have shown. The compound silences a gene that triggers the formation of metastases in colon cancer. Researchers in Germany made this discovery in collaboration with researchers in the U.S. Plans are already underway to conduct a clinical trial. ... > full story

Size matters -- in virulent fungal spores -- and suggests ways to stop a killer (June 17, 2011) -- Scientists have found that larger fungal spores can be more lethal. Their findings about two different spore sizes of the fungus Mucor circinelloides, a pathogen that kills half or more of its victims, could help to develop new treatments and fight other types of fungal infections. Mucor infection is in the news as an environmental fungus contracted by people who had trauma in the wake of tornadoes in Joplin, Mo. ... > full story

Nitrogen-fixing bacterial symbiont promises trove of natural products (June 17, 2011) -- Soil-dwelling bacteria of the genus Frankia have the potential to produce a multitude of natural products, including antibiotics, herbicides, pigments, anticancer agents, and other useful products, according to new research. ... > full story

How the immune system fights back against anthrax infections (June 17, 2011) -- Scientists have uncovered how the body's immune system launches its survival response to the notorious and deadly bacterium anthrax. The findings describe key emergency signals the body sends out when challenged by a life-threatening infection. ... > full story

Gatekeepers: How microbes make it past tight spaces between cells (June 17, 2011) -- There are ten microbial cells for every one human cell in the body, and microbiology dogma holds that there is a tight barrier protecting the inside of the body from outside invaders, in this case bacteria. Bacterial pathogens can break this barrier to cause infection and researchers wondered how microbes get inside the host and circulate in the first place. They tested to see if microbes somehow weaken host cell defenses to enter tissues. ... > full story

Where have all the flowers gone? High-mountain wildflower season reduced, affecting pollinators like bees, hummingbirds (June 17, 2011) -- It's summer wildflower season in the Rocky Mountains, a time when high-peaks meadows are dotted with riotous color. But for how long? Once, wildflower season in montane meadow ecosystems extended throughout the summer months. But now scientists have found a fall-off in wildflowers at mid-season. ... > full story

Heightened immunity to colds makes asthma flare-ups worse, study suggests (June 17, 2011) -- People often talk about "boosting" their immunity to prevent and fight colds. Nutritional supplements, cold remedies and fortified foods claim to stave off colds by augmenting the immune system. But new research suggests that tempering the immune response -- rather than enhancing it -- in asthma patients might be a better strategy when combating cold symptoms. ... > full story

Lyme disease bacteria take cover in lymph nodes (June 17, 2011) -- The bacteria that cause Lyme disease appear to hide out in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, but one that is not strong enough to rout the infection, report researchers. ... > full story

Landsat 5 satellite helps emergency managers fight largest fire in Arizona history (June 17, 2011) -- The largest fire in the history of the state of Arizona continues to burn and emergency managers and responders are using satellite data from a variety of instruments to plan their firefighting containment strategies and mitigation efforts once the fires are out. ... > full story

Zebra mussel invasion in Spain is irreversible, experts say (June 17, 2011) -- Scientists have characterizes eleven zebra mussel populations in the Ebro and the Júcar River Basin District and concludes that the arrival of this exotic species to Spanish river basins is "virtually irreversible". These research results, however, will help devise specific control strategies. ... > full story

Scientists develop a fatty 'kryptonite' to defeat multidrug-resistant 'super bugs' (June 17, 2011) -- "Super bugs," which can cause wide-spread disease and may be resistant to most, if not all, conventional antibiotics, still have their weaknesses. A team of Canadian scientists discovered that specific mixtures of antimicrobial agents presented in lipid (fatty) mixtures can significantly boost the effectiveness of those agents to kill the resistant bacteria. ... > full story

Plants teach humans a thing or two about fighting diseases (June 17, 2011) -- Avoiding germs to prevent sickness is commonplace for people. Wash hands often. Sneeze into your elbow. Those are among the tips humans learn. But plants, which are also vulnerable to pathogens, have to fend it alone. They grow where planted, in an environment teeming with microbes and other substances ready to attack. Texas scientists have learned from plants' immune response new information that could help understand humans' ability to ward off sickness. ... > full story