The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, January 21, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, January 21, 2012

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'Bubblegram' imaging: Novel approach to view inner workings of viruses (January 20, 2012) -- Since the discovery of the microscope, scientists have tried to visualize smaller and smaller structures to provide insights into the inner workings of human cells, bacteria and viruses. Now, researchers have developed a new way to see structures within viruses that were not clearly seen before. ... > full story

NASA sees repeating La Niña hitting its peak (January 20, 2012) -- La Niña, "the diva of drought," is peaking, increasing the odds that the Pacific Northwest will have more stormy weather this winter and spring, while the southwestern and southern United States will be dry. Sea surface height data from NASA's Jason-1 and -2 satellites show that the milder repeat of last year's strong La Niña has recently intensified, as seen in the latest Jason-2 image of the Pacific Ocean. ... > full story

Toward twister forecasting: Scientists make progress in assessing tornado seasons (January 20, 2012) -- A new study of short-term climate trends offers the first framework for predicting tornado activity up to a month out with current technology, and possibly further out as climate models improve, giving communities a chance to plan. The study may also eventually open a window on the question of whether tornadoes are growing more frequent due to long-term climate warming. ... > full story

Mysterious flotsam in Gulf of Mexico came from Deepwater Horizon rig (January 20, 2012) -- Using state-of-the-art chemical forensics and a bit of old-fashioned detective work, scientists confirmed that mysterious material found floating in the Gulf of Mexico came from the Deepwater Horizon rig. They further determined that tracking debris from damaged rigs can help forecast coastal impacts and guide response efforts in future spills. ... > full story

Hearty bacteria help make case for life in the extreme (January 20, 2012) -- The bottom of a glacier is not the most hospitable place on Earth, but at least two types of bacteria happily live there, according to researchers. ... > full story

Horse fly named in honor of Beyoncé (January 20, 2012) -- A previously unnamed species of horse fly whose appearance is dominated by its glamorous golden lower abdomen has been named in honor of American pop diva, Beyoncé -- a member of the former group Destiny's Child that recorded the 2001 hit single "Bootylicious." ... > full story

Cheap beads offer alternative solar-heating storage (January 20, 2012) -- A cheap material that can store heat energy collected from the sun during the day that can be released slowly over night has been developed by researchers in the India. The material, based on paraffin wax and stearic acid, could help keep homes warm in sunny parts of the world that get very cold at night without burning wood or fossil fuels. ... > full story

Harp seals on thin ice after 32 years of warming (January 20, 2012) -- Warming in the North Atlantic over the last 32 years has significantly reduced winter sea ice cover in harp seal breeding grounds, resulting in sharply higher death rates among seal pups in recent years, according to a new study. ... > full story

Two new standard reference materials for monitoring human exposure to environmental toxins (January 20, 2012) -- Scientists have developed two new standard reference materials for measurements of human exposure to environmental toxins. The new reference materials replace and improve older versions, adding measures for emerging environmental contaminants such as perchlorate, a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency has targeted for regulation as a contaminant under the Safe Drinking Water Act. ... > full story

Environmental exposure to organochlorines may impact male reproduction (January 19, 2012) -- Environmental exposure to organochlorine chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p,p'-DDE (the main metabolite of the insecticide DDT) can affect male reproduction, according to new research. ... > full story

Impact of land use activity in the Amazon basin evaluated (January 19, 2012) -- Portions of the Amazon basin are experiencing a transition in energy and water cycles. Evidence suggests that the Amazon may also be transitioning from a net carbon sink to a net source. This research shows that although the Amazon is resilient to individual disturbances, such as drought, multiple disturbances override this, increasing the vulnerability of forest ecosystems to degradation. This review provides a framework for understanding the associations between natural variability and drivers of change. ... > full story

Unusual 'tulip' creature discovered: Lived in the ocean more than 500 million years ago (January 19, 2012) -- A bizarre creature that lived in the ocean more than 500 million years ago has emerged from the famous Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies. Officially named Siphusauctum gregarium, fossils reveal a tulip-shaped creature that is about the length of a dinner knife (approximately 20 centimeters or eight inches) and has a unique filter feeding system. ... > full story