The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, December 14, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, December 14, 2011

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Some plant-based food supplements contain high levels of cancer causing agents, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- While many consumers equal ‘natural’ with ‘safe’, botanicals and botanical preparations such as plant-based food supplements may contain compounds, like the so called alkenylbenzenes, that are of concern for human health. A new study reveals there are plant-based food supplements on the market that contain alkenylbenzenes at levels comparable to those causing tumors in laboratory animals. ... > full story

Hundreds of threatened species not on official U.S. list, research shows (December 14, 2011) -- Many of the animal species at risk of extinction in the United States have not made it onto the country's official Endangered Species Act list, according to new research. ... > full story

Fauna of an entire lake in a shot glass (December 13, 2011) -- Danish researchers are leading the way for future biodiversity monitoring using DNA traces in the environment to keep track of threatened wildlife: a lake water sample the size of a shot glass can contain evidence of an entire lake fauna. ... > full story

Precise detection by the nose: Researchers decipher interaction of fragrances and olfactory receptors (December 13, 2011) -- Banana, mango or apricot -- telling these smells apart is no problem for the human nose. How the olfactory organ distinguishes such similar smells has been uncovered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers. The scientists were the first to shed light on the dynamics of the three-dimensional structure of the binding site of an olfactory receptor. In so doing, they also found a characteristic pattern of hydrogen bonds between odorant and receptor, which accounts for the specificity of the olfactory sensors. Using computer simulations, the team was able to predict whether odorant molecules activate a certain receptor or not. ... > full story

Elephant seal travels 18,000 miles (December 13, 2011) -- Scientists tracked a southern elephant seal for an astonishing 18,000 miles -- the equivalent of New York to Sydney and back again. ... > full story

Rose torture: Severe heat in Texas yields better varieties for research (December 13, 2011) -- At least one person admits that the extreme heat in Texas this year was beneficial. But all the same, he'd opt next time for a handmade torture chamber. "Some people will complain about the heat, but from my viewpoint as a breeder, I love stress," said a rose breeder. ... > full story

Spring's rising soil temperatures see hormones wake seeds from their winter slumber (December 13, 2011) -- Dormant seeds in the soil detect and respond to seasonal changes in soil temperature by changing their sensitivity to plant hormones, new research has found. ... > full story

Stress in early pregnancy can lead to shorter pregnancies and fewer baby boys (December 13, 2011) -- Stress in the second and third months of pregnancy can shorten pregnancies, increase the risk of pre-term births and may affect the ratio of boys to girls being born, leading to a decline in male babies. These are the conclusions of a study that investigated the effect on pregnant women of the stress caused by the 2005 Tarapaca earthquake in Chile. ... > full story

How the bioweapon ricin kills: Scientists solve mystery through revolutionary new technology (December 13, 2011) -- A key protein that controls how the deadly plant poison and bioweapon ricin kills, has finally been identified. The discovery was made using a revolutionary technology that combines stem cell biology and modern screening methods. ... > full story

Visual tour of Earth's fires (December 13, 2011) -- NASA has released a series of new satellite data visualizations that show tens of millions of fires detected worldwide from space since 2002. ... > full story

Space weather prediction model improves forecasting (December 13, 2011) -- NOAA is now using a sophisticated forecast model that substantially improves predictions of space weather impacts on Earth. Better forecasts offer additional protection for people and the technology-based infrastructure we use daily. ... > full story

Human cells build protein cages to trap invading Shigella (December 13, 2011) -- In research on the never-ending war between pathogen and host, scientists have discovered a novel defensive weapon, a cytoskeletal protein called septin, that humans cells deploy to cage the invading Shigella bacteria that cause potentially fatal human diarrhea. ... > full story

A small step for lungfish, a big step for the evolution of walking (December 13, 2011) -- The eel-like body and scrawny "limbs" of the African lungfish would appear to make it an unlikely innovator for locomotion. But its improbable walking behavior, newly described, redraws the evolutionary route of life on Earth from water to land. ... > full story

Human brain and the potato: Similarities within the mitochondrial ion channels (December 13, 2011) -- Certain elements of the membranes surrounding cellular mitochondria, responsible for transporting potassium ions, are identical in the potato and in mammalian brain, suggest new research. ... > full story

Elusive ultrafine indoor air contaminants yield to analysis (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers spent 75 days on the job carrying out some very important homework -- measurements in a 'typical dwelling' of the release, distribution and fate of nanoscale particles emitted by gas and electric stoves, hair dryers, power tools and candles. ... > full story

Catch the fever: It'll help you fight off infection, evidence shows (December 13, 2011) -- With cold and flu season almost here, the next time you're sick, you may want to think twice before taking something for your fever. That's because scientists have found more evidence that elevated body temperature helps certain types of immune cells to work better. ... > full story

World's smallest frogs discovered in New Guinea (December 13, 2011) -- Field research has uncovered the world's smallest frogs in southeastern New Guinea. The discovery also makes them the world's smallest tetrapods (non-fish vertebrates). The frogs belong to the genus Paedophryne, all of whose species are extremely small, with adults of the two new species -- named Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa -- only 8 to 9 millimeters in length. ... > full story

First realistic 3-D reconstruction of a brain circuit (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers report that, using a conceptually new approach and state-of-the-art research tools, they have created the first realistic three-dimensional diagram of a thalamocortical column in the rodent brain. This is the first step toward creating a complete computer model of the brain, and may ultimately lead to an understanding of how the brain computes and how it goes awry in disease. ... > full story

Bigger, scarier weapons help spiders get the girl (December 12, 2011) -- If you're a red-headed guy with eight bulging eyes and a unibrow, size does indeed matter for getting the girl. More specifically, the bigger a male jumping spider's weapons appear to be, the more likely his rival will slink away without a fight, leaving the bigger guy a clear path to the waiting female. ... > full story

New biometric data standard adds DNA, footmarks and enhanced fingerprint descriptions (December 12, 2011) -- The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a revised biometric standard that vastly expands the type and amount of information that forensic scientists can share across their international networks to identify victims or solve crimes. ... > full story

As climate change sets in, plants and bees keep pace (December 12, 2011) -- An analysis of bee collection data over the past 130 years shows that spring arrives about 10 days earlier than in the 1880s, and bees and flowering plants have kept pace by arriving earlier in lock-step. ... > full story

Disappearance of the elephant caused rise of modern humans: Dietary change led to modern humans in Middle East 400,000 years ago (December 12, 2011) -- Scientists have connected evidence about diet with other cultural and anatomical clues to conclude that the disappearance of the elephants led to the emergence of Homo sapiens in the Middle East much earlier than first suspected. The findings set the stage for a new, revolutionary understanding of human history. ... > full story

Evolution reveals missing link between DNA and protein shape (December 12, 2011) -- Using evolutionary genetic information, an international team of researchers has taken major steps toward solving a classic problem of molecular biology: Predicting how a protein will fold in three dimensions. ... > full story

Ancient dry spells offer clues about the future of drought (December 12, 2011) -- As parts of Central America and the US Southwest endure some of the worst droughts to hit those areas in decades, scientists have unearthed new evidence about ancient dry spells that suggest the future could bring even more serious water shortages. Three researchers have presented new findings about the past and future of drought. ... > full story

Expanding dead zones are shrinking tropical blue marlin habitat (December 12, 2011) -- Scientists sound an alarm that expanding ocean dead zones are shrinking the habitat for high value fish such as marlins, other billfish and tunas in the tropical northeast Atlantic Ocean. Without taking this phenomena into account, scientific fish stock assessments could provide false signals that stocks are healthy, when in fact they are not, thus allowing overfishing that further depletes these fish stocks. ... > full story

Tropical sea temperatures influence melting in Antarctica (December 12, 2011) -- New research shows that accelerated melting of two fast-moving glaciers that drain Antarctic ice into the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely in part the result of an increase in sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ... > full story

Study finds failure points in firefighter protective equipment (December 12, 2011) -- In fire experiments conducted in uniformly furnished, but vacant Chicago-area townhouses, researchers uncovered temperature and heat-flow conditions that can seriously damage facepiece lenses on standard firefighter breathing equipment, a potential contributing factor for first-responder fatalities and injuries. ... > full story

Ten years after the attacks on the World Trade Center, human health cost is still being counted (December 12, 2011) -- The World Trade Center disaster exposed nearly half a million people to hazardous chemicals, environmental toxins, and traumatic events. According to recent research, this has resulted in increased risk of developing physical and mental health conditions after 9/11. ... > full story

Scientists assess radioactivity in the ocean from Japan nuclear power facility (December 12, 2011) -- With current news of additional radioactive leaks from the Fukushima nuclear power plants, the impact on the ocean of releases of radioactivity from the plants remains unclear. ... > full story

More shrubbery in a warming world (December 12, 2011) -- Scientists have used satellite data to confirm that more than 20 years of warming temperatures in northern Quebec, Canada, have resulted in an increase in the amount and extent of shrubs and grasses. ... > full story

Beating superbugs with a high-tech cleanser (December 12, 2011) -- Scientists have developed an efficient, cost-effective liquid solution that fights antibiotic-resistant bacteria on hospital surfaces and keeps patients safe from life-threatening infections. It's easy to prepare, easy to apply, non-toxic -- and it will cost just a few dollars per quart. ... > full story

New solar-powered classroom brings science to schools in developing countries (December 12, 2011) -- An innovative project is using solar generators to provide IT resources and 'hands-on' science for students in developing countries. ... > full story

Inbreeding in bed bugs: One key to massive increases in infestations (December 12, 2011) -- New research on the bed bug's ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs across the United States and globally. After mostly disappearing in the US in the 1950s, the common bed bug has reappeared with a vengeance over the past decade. ... > full story

Savanna chimps exhibit human-like sharing behavior, anthropologists say (December 11, 2011) -- Anthropologists report that chimpanzees in Senegal frequently share food and hunting tools with other chimps. This is thought to be the first study to document non-meat sharing behavior among chimpanzees. ... > full story

Underground heat: Landsat satellites track Yellowstone's geothermal activity (December 10, 2011) -- Yellowstone National Park sits on top of a vast, ancient, and still active volcano. Heat pours off its underground magma chamber, and is the fuel for Yellowstone's famous features -- more than 10,000 hot springs, mud pots, terraces and geysers, including Old Faithful. But expected development by energy companies right outside Yellowstone's borders have some fearing that Old Faithful could be cheated out of its energy. ... > full story

Lipid-modifying enzyme: New target for pan-viral therapeutics (December 10, 2011) -- Three different disease-causing viruses -- poliovirus, coxsackievirus, and hepatitis C -- rely on their unwilling host for the membrane platforms enriched in a specific lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4 phosphate (PI4P) on which they can replicate, researchers report. ... > full story

Pharmacists crucial in plan for terrorist chemical weapons (December 10, 2011) -- Terrorist attacks with chemical weapons are a real possibility, according to a new study. Thanks to their extensive knowledge of toxic agents, and how to treat those who have been exposed, pharmacists are an invaluable resource in the event of an actual or potential chemical weapons attack. ... > full story

2010 spike in Greenland ice loss lifted bedrock, GPS reveals (December 9, 2011) -- An unusually hot melting season in 2010 accelerated ice loss in southern Greenland by 100 billion tons – and large portions of the island's bedrock rose an additional quarter of an inch in response. That's the finding from a network of nearly 50 GPS stations planted along the Greenland coast to measure the bedrock's natural response to the ever-diminishing weight of ice above it. ... > full story

New disinfection technique could revolutionize hospital room cleaning (December 9, 2011) -- A Queen's University infectious disease expert has collaborated in the development of a disinfection system that may change the way hospital rooms all over the world are cleaned as well as stop bed bug outbreaks in hotels and apartments. ... > full story

How Salmonella forms evil twins to evade the body's defenses (December 9, 2011) -- To swim or not? The same biological control that determines which capability genetically identical Salmonella will have impacts the virulence of the food pathogen. Swimmers do better in the gut, but non-motile Salmonella avoid triggering killer cells. An unusual protein turns on or off the manufacture of swimming apparatus in each new bacterium. ... > full story

Researchers develop a way to monitor engineered blood vessels as they grow in patients (December 9, 2011) -- New research describes how by using magnetic resonance imaging and nanoparticle technology, scientists can monitor the growth of laboratory-engineered blood vessels after implantation in patients. This is an important step toward ensuring that blood vessels, and tissues engineered from a patient's own biological material, are taking hold and working as expected. This is the first method for monitoring the growth and progress of engineered tissues once they are implanted. ... > full story

Microscopic worms could hold the key to living life on Mars (December 9, 2011) -- The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have up sticks and colonize space. But is the human body up to the challenge? Scientists believe that Caenorhabditis elegans, a microscopic worm which has biologically similarities to human beings, could help us understand how humans might cope with long-duration space exploration. ... > full story

Helping your fellow rat: Rodents show empathy-driven behavior, evidence suggests (December 9, 2011) -- The first evidence of empathy-driven helping behavior in rodents has been observed in laboratory rats that repeatedly free companions from a restraint, according to a new study by University of Chicago neuroscientists. The observation, published today in Science, places the origin of pro-social helping behavior earlier in the evolutionary tree than previously thought. ... > full story

Decisions, decisions: House-hunting honey bees work like complex brains (December 9, 2011) -- Researchers have found a signal, overlooked until now, that plays a role when honey bees split off from their mother colony and go scouting for a new home. Called the "stop signal," it is a very short buzz delivered by a scout bee while butting her head against a dancing honey bee, and is similar to signals that occur between neurons in the brains of monkeys making decisions. ... > full story

Premature babies harbor fewer, but more dangerous microbe types (December 9, 2011) -- One of the most comprehensive studies to date of the microbes that are found in extremely low-birthweight infants found that hard-to-treat Candida fungus is often present, as well as some harmful bacteria and parasites. ... > full story

New fluorescent imaging sorts microbiome in human mouth (December 9, 2011) -- New fluorescent labeling technology that distinguishes in a single image the population size and spatial distribution of 15 different taxa has uncovered new taxon pairings that indicate unsuspected cooperation -- and standoffishness -- between members of the microbe biofilm that covers teeth. ... > full story

For Midwesterners, more boxcars mean cleaner air (December 9, 2011) -- Shifting a fraction of truck-borne freight onto trains would have an outsized impact on air quality in the Midwest, according to researchers. ... > full story

Rebuilding the brain's circuitry (December 9, 2011) -- Scientists have rebuilt genetically diseased circuitry in a section of the mouse hypothalamus, an area controlling obesity and energy balance, demonstrating that complex and intricately wired circuitry of the brain long considered incapable of cellular repair can be rewired with the right type of neuronal "replacement parts." ... > full story