The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, February 18, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, February 18, 2012

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NASA map sees Earth's trees in a new light (February 17, 2012) -- A NASA-led science team has created an accurate, high-resolution map of the height of Earth's forests. The map will help scientists better understand the role forests play in climate change and how their heights influence wildlife habitats within them, while also helping them quantify the carbon stored in Earth's vegetation. ... > full story

Linking human evolution and climate change (February 17, 2012) -- It's not a take on climate change we often hear about. But a professor of archaeology, will talk about how climate change impacts human evolution at the world’s largest science fair. ... > full story

Human-made photosynthesis to revolutionize food and energy production (February 17, 2012) -- Improving natural photosynthesis to make new fuels and boost crop production is the focus of new research. It could see us one step closer to bottling the sun's energy or turbocharging plants to produce bumper crops. ... > full story

Models underestimate future temperature variability: Food security at risk (February 17, 2012) -- Climate warming caused by greenhouse gases is very likely to increase summer temperature variability around the world by the end of this century, new research shows. The findings have major implications for food production. ... > full story

Deepwater Horizon disaster could have billion dollar impact (February 17, 2012) -- The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 will have a large economic impact on the US Gulf fisheries. A new study says that over seven years this oil spill could have a $US8.7 billion impact on the economy of the Gulf of Mexico. This includes losses in revenue, profit, and wages, and close to 22,000 jobs could be lost. ... > full story

Revealed in accurate detail, the underground world of plants (February 17, 2012) -- Plant and computer scientists can now study the underground world of plants with more accuracy and clarity. The revolutionary technique will improve our chances of breeding better crop varieties and increasing yields. ... > full story

Meet plants' and algae's common ancestor: Primitive organisms not always so simple, researcher says (February 17, 2012) -- A biologist has created a sketch of what the first common ancestor of plants and algae may have looked like. ... > full story

How the quarter horse won the rodeo (February 17, 2012) -- American Quarter Horses are renowned for their speed, agility, and calm disposition. Consequently over four million Quarter Horses are used as working horses on ranches, as show horses or at rodeos. New research used 'next-generation' sequencing to map variation in the genome of a Quarter Horse mare. Analysis of genetic variants associated with specific traits showed that compared to a thoroughbred the Quarter Horse's genome was enriched for variants in genes involved in sensory perception, signal transduction and the immune system. ... > full story

Origin of photosynthesis revealed by a 'living fossil' (February 17, 2012) -- Recently, the complete genome of a glaucophyte alga (Cyanophora paradoxa) has been unraveled by an international consortium. ... > full story

Geoscientists use numerical model to better forecast forces behind earthquakes (February 17, 2012) -- Researchers have devised a numerical model to help explain the linkage between earthquakes and the powerful forces that cause them. Their findings hold implications for long-term forecasting of earthquakes. ... > full story

Mother of pearl tells a tale of ocean temperature, depth (February 16, 2012) -- Produced by a multitude of mollusk species, nacre is widely used in jewelry and art. It is inlaid into musical instruments, furniture and decorative boxes. Fashioned into buttons, beads and a host of functional objects from pens to flatware, mother of pearl lends a lustrous iridescence to everyday objects. ... > full story

Nanoparticles in food, vitamins could harm human health, researchers warn (February 16, 2012) -- Billions of engineered nanoparticles in foods and pharmaceuticals are ingested by humans daily, and new study warns they may be more harmful to health than previously thought. ... > full story