The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Sunday, November 27, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Sunday, November 27, 2011

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Ulcer-causing bacteria tamed by defect in cell-targeting ability (November 26, 2011) -- Without the ability to swim to their targets in the stomach, ulcer-causing bacteria do not cause the inflammation of the stomach lining that leads to ulcers and stomach cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story

DNA system developed to identify and authenticate plant species (November 26, 2011) -- Biologists have developed a method which can detect the use of illegal or counterfeit plants in medicine and could also be used to boost conservation by identifying and monitoring the exploitation of endangered plant species. ... > full story

Child abuse in birds: Study documents 'cycle of violence' in nature (November 26, 2011) -- For one species of seabird in the Galapagos, the child abuse "cycle of violence" found in humans plays out in the wild. The new study of Nazca boobies provides the first evidence from the animal world showing those who are abused when they are young often grow up to be abusers. ... > full story

Climate sensitivity to carbon dioxide more limited than extreme projections, research shows (November 25, 2011) -- The rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than the most dire estimates of some previous studies -- and, in fact, may be less severe than projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in 2007. Researchers say that global warming is real and that increases in atmospheric CO2 will have multiple serious impacts. However, the most Draconian projections of temperature increases from the doubling of CO2 are unlikely, according to new research. ... > full story

Worms reveal secrets of wound-healing response (November 25, 2011) -- The lowly and simple roundworm may be the ideal laboratory model to learn more about the complex processes involved in repairing wounds and could eventually allow scientists to improve the body's response to healing skin wounds, a serious problem in diabetics and the elderly. ... > full story

Scientists turn on fountain of youth in yeast (November 25, 2011) -- Researchers have successfully manipulated the life span of common, single-celled yeast organisms by figuring out how to remove and restore protein functions related to yeast aging. ... > full story

Ancient environment found to drive marine biodiversity (November 25, 2011) -- Much of our knowledge about past life has come from the fossil record -- but how accurately does that reflect the true history and drivers of biodiversity on Earth? ... > full story

Abnormal levels of caffeine in water indicate human contamination (November 25, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered that traces of caffeine are a useful indicator of the contamination of our water by sewers. ... > full story

Celiac patients face potential hazard as information on cosmetic ingredients difficult to find (November 25, 2011) -- The lack of readily available information about cosmetic ingredients may cause patients with celiac disease who use lip, facial or body products to unknowingly expose themselves to gluten -- an ingredient they need to avoid, according to the results of a new study. ... > full story

Earth's core deprived of oxygen (November 24, 2011) -- Scientists know that the Earth's liquid outer core consists mainly of iron, but it is believed that small amounts of some other elements are also present. Oxygen is the most abundant element in the planet, so it is not unreasonable to expect oxygen might be one of the dominant "light elements" in the core. But new research proves otherwise. This has major implications for our understanding of the period when the Earth formed. ... > full story

Thanksgiving in space may one day come with all the trimmings (November 24, 2011) -- Future astronauts spending Thanksgiving in space may not have to forgo one of the most traditional parts of the day's feast: fresh sweet potatoes. Agricultural researchers have now developed methods for growing sweet potatoes that reduce the required growing space while not decreasing the amount of food that each plant produces. ... > full story

Targeting bacterial gas defenses allow for increased efficacy of numerous antibiotics (November 23, 2011) -- Although scientists have known for centuries that many bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide (H2S) it was thought to be simply a toxic by-product of cellular activity. Now, researchers have discovered H2S in fact plays a major role in protecting bacteria from the effects of numerous different antibiotics. ... > full story