The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Thursday, December 15, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Thursday, December 15, 2011

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Ramping up wind energy research (December 15, 2011) -- As the percentage of wind energy contributing to the power grid continues to increase, the variable nature of wind can make it difficult to keep the generation and the load balanced. But recent work may help this balance through a project that alerts control room operators of wind conditions and energy forecasts so they can make well-informed scheduling decisions. This is especially important during extreme events, such as ramps, when there is a sharp increase or decrease in the wind speed over a short period of time, which leads to a large rise or fall in the amount of power generated. ... > full story

Why buttercups reflect yellow on chins: Research sheds light on children’s game and provides insight into pollination (December 15, 2011) -- Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower, which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure. ... > full story

Scientists develop new technology to detect deep sea gas leaks (December 15, 2011) -- A new ultra-sensitive technology which can monitor leaks from underwater gas pipelines has been developed by scientists in the UK. ... > full story

Starving orangutans might help to better understand obesity and eating disorders in humans (December 14, 2011) -- New research examining how endangered Indonesian orangutans – considered a close relative to humans -- survive during times of extreme food scarcity might help scientists better understand eating disorders and obesity in humans. ... > full story

Bloodstream malaria infections in mice successfully cleared (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered how malaria manipulates the immune system to allow the parasite to persist in the bloodstream. By rescuing this immune system pathway, the research team was able to cure mice of bloodstream malaria infections. ... > full story

'Pep talk' can revive immune cells exhausted by chronic viral infection (December 14, 2011) -- Chronic infections by viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C eventually take hold because they wear the immune system out, a phenomenon immunologists describe as exhaustion. Yet exhausted immune cells can be revived after the introduction of fresh cells that act like coaches giving a pep talk, researchers have found. ... > full story

Glow of recognition: New detectors could provide easy visual identification of toxins or pathogens (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new way of revealing the presence of specific chemicals -- whether toxins, disease markers, pathogens or explosives. The system visually signals the presence of a target chemical by emitting a fluorescent glow. ... > full story

Microneedle sensors may allow real-time monitoring of body chemistry (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body -- and to continuously do so for an extended period of time. ... > full story

Study fundamentally alters our understanding of lung growth (December 14, 2011) -- A ground-breaking international study into the ways lungs grow and develop has challenged existing medical understanding that our lungs are completely formed by the age of three. ... > full story

Seabirds: Climate differences have less impact on transmission of blood parasites than expected (December 14, 2011) -- Seabirds often live in large colonies in very confined spaces. Parasites, such as fleas and ticks, take advantage of this ideal habitat with its rich supply of nutrition. As a result, they can transmit blood parasites like avian malaria to the birds. Scientists have investigated whether this affects all seabirds equally, and whether climate conditions, the habitat or particular living conditions influence infection with avian malaria. They discovered that most seabirds are free of malaria parasites; however, some groups, especially frigatebirds, are particularly common hosts to malaria parasites. ... > full story

Follow your nose: Compared to Neanderthals, modern humans have a better sense of smell (December 14, 2011) -- High-tech medical imaging techniques were recently used to access internal structures of fossil human skulls. Researchers used sophisticated 3-D methods to quantify the shape of the basal brain as reflected in the morphology of the skeletal cranial base. Their findings reveal that the human temporal lobes, involved in language, memory and social functions as well as the olfactory bulbs are relatively larger in Homo sapiens than in Neanderthals. ... > full story

Developing crops that can cope with sudden changes in the weather (December 14, 2011) -- Crops that can cope with sudden fluctuations in the weather could be developed, thanks to fresh discoveries about the survival mechanisms of plants. ... > full story

Whole new meaning for thinking on your feet: Brains of small spiders overflow into legs (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders may fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of research to understand how miniaturization affects brain size and behavior, the scientists measured the central nervous systems of nine species of spiders, from rainforest giants to spiders smaller than the head of a pin. As the spiders get smaller, their brains get proportionally bigger, filling up more and more of their body cavities. ... > full story

Divers retrieve prehistoric wood from Lake Huron (December 14, 2011) -- Under the cold clear waters of Lake Huron, researchers have found a five-and-a-half foot-long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old. The wood, which is tapered and beveled on one side in a way that looks deliberate, may provide important clues to a mysterious period in North American prehistory. ... > full story

Small reactors could figure into US energy future (December 14, 2011) -- A new study concludes that small modular reactors may hold the key to the future of U.S. nuclear power generation. ... > full story

Visualization of DNA synthesis in vivo (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new substance for labeling and visualization of DNA synthesis in whole animals. Applications for this technique include identifying the sites of virus infections and cancer growth, due to the abundance of DNA replication in these tissues. This approach should therefore lead to new strategies in drug development. ... > full story

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

Landscape architecture survey: Is plant knowledge passé? (December 14, 2011) -- A study evaluated attitudes and perceptions of practicing landscape architects in the southeastern United States with regards to the importance of horticultural knowledge. While seasoned practitioners in the residential design market said they had a favorable opinion of their own plant knowledge, they felt that recent graduates in landscape architecture have insufficient knowledge of plants. The authors say the study shows a continued need for both formal and informal extended education classes for the profession. ... > 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

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