The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Friday, December 23, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Friday, December 23, 2011

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Built-in 'self-destruct timer' causes ultimate death of messenger RNA in cells (December 22, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered the first known mechanism by which cells control the survival of messenger RNA (mRNA) -- arguably biology's most important molecule. The findings pertain to mRNAs that help regulate cell division and could therefore have implications for reversing cancer's out-of-control cell division. ... > full story

Long intervening non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in brain development (December 22, 2011) -- Scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs that play key roles during brain development in zebrafish, and went on to show that the human versions of these RNAs can substitute for the zebrafish lincRNAs. Until now, lincRNAs have been studied primarily in cell lines rather than at the organismal level, which has precluded research into how lincRNAs affect growth and development. ... > full story

Reclaiming land after a forest fire (December 22, 2011) -- Researchers treated burnt soil with an organic polymer used in agriculture. Applying granules of the non-toxic polymer cut soil erosion by half in both laboratory and field experiments. ... > full story

Starlings help explain irrational preferences (December 22, 2011) -- Research into decision-making by European starlings may help explain why many animals, including humans, sometimes exhibit irrational preferences. ... > full story

First ever direct measurement of Earth's rotation (December 22, 2011) -- Scientists have just plotted changes in Earth's axis through laboratory measurements. To do this, they constructed the world's most stable ring laser. Previously, scientists were only able to track shifts in the axis indirectly by monitoring fixed objects in space. Capturing these shifts is crucial for navigation systems. ... > full story

High genetic diversity in an ancient Hawaiian clone (December 22, 2011) -- The entire Hawaiian population of the peat moss Sphagnum palustre appears to be a clone that has been in existence for some 50,000 years, researchers have discovered. ... > full story

Jaguar photo shows conservation success in Bolivia (December 22, 2011) -- A dramatic photo of a female jaguar and her two cubs near the Isoso Station of the Santa Cruz-Puerto Suarez Gas Pipeline in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia has just been released. The adult jaguar, nicknamed Kaaiyana, has been seen with her cubs in the area for over a month; though conservationists have confirmed she has been a resident in the vicinity for at least six years. ... > full story

'Alien' eggs benefit mockingbirds (December 22, 2011) -- Mockingbirds rarely remove the 'alien' eggs parasitic cowbirds lay in their nests because keeping them dilutes the risk of their own eggs being attacked. ... > full story

Promising results in mice on needle-free candidate universal vaccine against various flu viruses (December 22, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that an antigen common to most influenza viruses, and commonly referred to as matrix protein 2, when administered under the tongue could protect mice against experimental infection caused by various influenza viruses, including the highly pathogenic avian H5 virus and the pandemic H1 virus. ... > full story

Sensational bird discovery in China (December 22, 2011) -- In June 2011, a team of Chinese and Swedish researchers rediscovered the breeding area for the poorly known Blackthroat Luscinia obscura, in the Qinling mountains, Shaanxi province, north central China. ... > full story

Paint-on solar cells developed (December 22, 2011) -- Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light -- electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside. Scientists have just created an inexpensive "solar paint" that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy. ... > full story

Sensing the deep ocean (December 22, 2011) -- Sensorbots are spherical devices equipped with biogeochemical sensors, that promise to open a new chapter in the notoriously challenging exploration of earth's largest ecosystem -- the ocean. ... > full story

Which wheats make the best whole-grain cookie doughs? (December 22, 2011) -- Festive cookies, served at year-end holiday gatherings, may in the future be made with a larger proportion of whole-grain flour instead of familiar, highly refined white flour. ... > full story

Will Antarctic worms warm to changing climate? (December 21, 2011) -- Researchers are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase. ... > full story

Ironing out details of Earth's core: Researchers obtain highest-pressure vibrational spectrum of iron (December 21, 2011) -- Identifying the composition of Earth's core is key to understanding how our planet formed and the current behavior of its interior. While it has been known for many years that iron is the main element in the core, many questions have remained about just how iron behaves under the conditions found deep in the earth. Now, a team led by mineral-physics researchers has homed in on those behaviors by conducting extremely high-pressure experiments on the element. ... > full story

Do our medicines boost pathogens? (December 21, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a parasite that not only had developed resistance against a common medicine, but at the same time had become better in withstanding the human immune system. With some exaggeration: Medical practice helped in developing a superbug. For it appears the battle against the drug also armed the bug better against its host. ... > full story

New eco-friendly foliar spray provides natural anti-freeze (December 21, 2011) -- A new, biodegradable foliar/floral spray that increases plant resistance to both cold damage and cold mortality has been introduced to the commercial market. The spray improved cold tolerance by approximately 2°F to 9°F, depending on the variety of plant and the duration/ intensity of frost or freeze. Use of the non-toxic spray could add the equivalent of approximately 0.25 to almost 1.0 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone to the cold hardiness rating of plants. ... > full story

Single cell endoscope: Researchers use nanophotonics for optical look inside living cells (December 21, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a nanowire endoscope that can provide high-resolution optical images of the interior of a single living cell, or precisely deliver genes, proteins, therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell. ... > full story

How exposure to irregular light affects plant circadian rhythms (December 21, 2011) -- A study of chrysanthemum investigated plants' circadian responses to interruptions in light cycles. Plants were exposed to irregular supplemental light breaks during the night; results showed a correlation between circadian-regulated processes and plant growth. Leaves and stems grew faster in plants grown in short days with irregular light breaks during the night compared with plants grown in a climate with a consecutive long light period. The findings could contribute to energy savings in production greenhouses. ... > full story

Why humans are so sociable these days (December 21, 2011) -- Humans have evolved to become the most flexible of the primates and being able to live in lots of different social settings sets us apart from non-human primates, suggests new research. ... > full story

Forest health versus global warming: Fuel reduction likely to increase carbon emissions (December 21, 2011) -- Forest thinning to help prevent or reduce severe wildfire will release more carbon to the atmosphere than any amount saved by successful fire prevention. There may be valid reasons to thin forests – such as restoration of forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety – but increased carbon sequestration is not one of them. ... > full story

Breastfeeding saved babies in 19th century Montreal (December 21, 2011) -- Breastfeeding increased infant survival rates in 19th -Century Montreal in two major ways, according to new research. Mother's milk protected vulnerable infants from food and water contaminated by fecal bacteria, while breastfeeding postponed the arrival of more siblings and that improved the health of mothers as well as their subsequent children. ... > full story

Ion channel makes African naked mole-rat insensitive to acid-induced pain (December 20, 2011) -- Researchers have found out why the African naked mole-rat, one of the world's most unusual mammals, feels no pain when exposed to acid. The animals have an altered ion channel in their pain receptors that is inactivated by acid and makes the animals insensitive to this type of pain. ... > full story

Human skull is highly integrated: Study sheds new light on evolutionary changes (December 20, 2011) -- Scientists studying a unique collection of human skulls have shown that changes to the skull shape thought to have occurred independently through separate evolutionary events may have actually precipitated each other. ... > full story

Towards artificial photosynthesis for solar hydrogen generation: Algal protein gives boost to electrochemical water splitting (December 20, 2011) -- Water splitting in photo-electrochemical cells to yield hydrogen is a promising way to sustainable fuels. Scientists have now made major progress in developing highly efficient electrodes – made of an algal protein, thus mimicking a central step in natural photosynthesis. ... > full story

Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests (December 20, 2011) -- A Mediterranean diet with large amounts of vegetables and fish gives a longer life, according to Swedish research. A number of studies since the 1950s have shown that a Mediterranean diet, based on a high consumption of fish and vegetables and a low consumption of animal-based products such as meat and milk, leads to better health. ... > full story

Caterpillars mimic one another for survival (December 20, 2011) -- In the world of insects, high risk of attack has led to the development of camouflage as a means for survival. Researchers have uncovered some of the most extensive evidence of caterpillars using another strategy previously best-known in adult butterflies: mimicry. ... > full story

Infectious fungus, thought to be asexual, isn't (December 20, 2011) -- Candida tropicalis turns out to have sex, making it the second medically important member of the genus to be capable of mating. Sex may improve the survival of the species, particularly when it's under pressure. It may also mean the species can achieve greater virulence or drug resistance more quickly than previously thought. ... > full story

Pet kidney injuries are similar to human kidney injuries (December 20, 2011) -- For pets suffering critical illness or injury, researchers have found that even tiny increases of creatinine in blood also could indicate acute kidney damage. Using human blood measurement guidelines for acute kidney injuries, the researchers believe they can now help pet owners better know the severity of their animals' illness. ... > full story

Living 'neon signs' composed of millions of glowing bacteria (December 20, 2011) -- In an example of life imitating art, biologists and bioengineers have created a living neon sign composed of millions of bacterial cells that periodically fluoresce in unison like blinking light bulbs. ... > full story

New light on medicinal benefits of plants (December 20, 2011) -- Scientists are about to make publicly available all the data they have so far on the genetic blueprint of medicinal plants and what beneficial properties are encoded. ... > full story

Major step forward towards drought tolerance in crops (December 20, 2011) -- When a plant encounters drought, it does its best to cope with this stress by activating a set of protein molecules called receptors. Plant cell biologists have discovered how to rewire this cellular machinery to heighten the plants' stress response -- a finding that can be used to engineer crops to give them a better shot at surviving and displaying increased yield under drought conditions. ... > full story

Hellbender salamander study seeks answers for global amphibian decline (December 20, 2011) -- A new study on the endangered Ozark Hellbender giant salamander is the first to detail its skin microbes, the bacteria and fungi that defend against pathogens. ... > full story

Attic vases from Athens inspired Cypriote pottery (December 20, 2011) -- Athenian pottery was exported to both east and west. In Cyprus the pottery was exported for about 300 years and it became a part of the Cypriots’ life. It also inspired the local potters and painters to create their own versions of the imagery and enrich them with local elements. ... > full story

Data-driven tools cast geographical patterns of rainfall extremes in new light (December 19, 2011) -- Using statistical analysis methods to examine rainfall extremes in India, a team of researchers has made a discovery that resolves an ongoing debate and offers new insights. ... > full story

Researchers closer to understanding the evolution of sound production in fish (December 19, 2011) -- Researchers studying sound production in perch-like fishes have discovered a link between two unrelated lineages of fishes, taking researchers a step closer to understanding the evolution of one of the fastest muscles in vertebrates. ... > full story

Plant-eating dinosaur discovered in Antarctica (December 19, 2011) -- For the first time, the presence of large bodied herbivorous dinosaurs in Antarctica has been recorded. Until now, remains of sauropoda had been recovered from all continental landmasses, except Antarctica. The identification of the remains of the sauropod dinosaur suggests that advanced titanosaurs achieved a global distribution at least by the Late Cretaceous. ... > full story

Chemicals and biofuel from wood biomass (December 19, 2011) -- A new method makes it possible to use microbes to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals from wood biomass. Butanol is particularly suited as a transport fuel because it is not water soluble and has higher energy content than ethanol. ... > full story

New kind of metal in the deep Earth: Iron oxide undergoes transition under intense pressures and temperatures (December 19, 2011) -- The intense pressures and temperatures in Earth's deep interior squeeze atoms and electrons so close they interact differently. New experiments and supercomputer computations have revealed that iron oxide undergoes a new kind of transition under deep Earth conditions. It is a component of the second most abundant mineral at Earth's lower mantle, ferropericlase. The finding could alter our understanding of deep Earth dynamics and the behavior of the protective magnetic field, which shields our planet. ... > full story

First aid after tick bites (December 19, 2011) -- They come out in the spring, and each year they spread further – the ticks. Thirty percent of them transmit borrelia pathogens, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis that can damage joints and organs. The disease often goes undetected. In the future, a new type of gel is intended to prevent an infection – if applied after a tick bite. ... > full story

Immunological defense mechanism leaves malaria patients vulnerable to deadly infection (December 19, 2011) -- The link between malaria and Salmonella infections has been explained for the first time, opening the way to more effective treatments. ... > full story

Nitrogen from humans pollutes remote lakes for more than a century (December 19, 2011) -- Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes throughout the Northern Hemisphere for more than a century and the fingerprint of these changes is evident even in remote lakes located thousands of miles from the nearest city, industrial area or farm. The findings are based on historical changes in the chemical composition of bottom deposits in lakes using an approach similar to aquatic archeology. ... > full story

Climate change may bring big ecosystem shifts, NASA says (December 19, 2011) -- By 2100, global climate change will modify plant communities covering almost half of Earth's land surface and will drive the conversion of nearly 40 percent of land-based ecosystems from one major ecological community type -- such as forest, grassland or tundra -- toward another, according to a new NASA and university computer modeling study. ... > full story

Data on biodiversity at risk of being lost (December 19, 2011) -- A new project is setting out to rescue biodiversity data at risk of being lost, because they are not integrated in institutional databases, are kept in outdated digital storage systems, or are not properly documented. The project provides a good example for a GBIF recommendation to establish hosting centers for biodiversity data. ... > full story

Novel device removes heavy metals from water (December 18, 2011) -- Engineers have developed a system that cleanly and efficiently removes trace heavy metals from water. In experiments, the researchers showed the system reduced cadmium, copper, and nickel concentrations, returning contaminated water to near or below federally acceptable standards. The technique is scalable and has viable commercial applications, especially in the environmental remediation and metal recovery fields. ... > full story

Rapid rise in wildfires in large parts of Canada? Ecologists find threshold values for natural wildfires (December 18, 2011) -- Large forest regions in Canada are apparently about to experience rapid change. Based on models, scientists can now show that there are threshold values for wildfires just like there are for epidemics. Large areas of Canada are apparently approaching this threshold value and may in future exceed it due to climate change. As a result both the area burnt down annually and the average size of the fires would increase, researchers say. ... > full story

Functionalized graphene oxide plays part in next-generation oil-well drilling fluids (December 17, 2011) -- Graphene's star is rising as a material that could become essential to efficient, environmentally sound oil production. Researchers are taking advantage of graphene's outstanding strength, light weight and solubility to enhance fluids used to drill oil wells. ... > full story

Barracuda babies: Novel study sheds light on early life of prolific predator (December 16, 2011) -- Marine biologists shed light on the larval stage of the barracuda, as well as several other closely related species. ... > full story