The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Tuesday, February 21, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Tuesday, February 21, 2012

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High definition polarization vision discovered in cuttlefish (February 20, 2012) -- Cuttlefish have the most acute polarization vision yet found in any animal, researchers have discovered by showing them movies on a modified LCD computer screen to test their eyesight. ... > full story

Conservation risk highest off coasts of Canada, Mexico, Peru and New Zealand (February 20, 2012) -- Researchers have identified conservation "hot spots" around the world where the temptation to profit from overfishing outweighs the appetite for conservation. ... > full story

Water management and climate change in ancient Maya city (February 20, 2012) -- There are new findings from inside a cave and a key cultural and religious center for the ancient Maya. ... > full story

New species of bat, Hipposideros griffini, discovered in Vietnam (February 20, 2012) -- A distinctive echolocation frequency led to the discovery of a new species of bat within the genus Hipposideros. Although this bat is similar to the species Hipposideros armiger, differences in acoustics, size, and DNA between these bats led to the identification of the new species. This new member of the bat community, which has been found in two locations in Vietnam, has been given the scientific name Hipposideros griffini. ... > full story

Bird stewards increase the effectiveness of protected beaches (February 20, 2012) -- Bird stewards – individuals who police protected beaches and educate the public about the birds who inhabit it – greatly increase the effectiveness of protected beaches, a new survey finds. ... > full story

Studying the evolution of life's building blocks (February 20, 2012) -- Studying the origin of life at its building blocks offers a unique perspective on evolution, says a researcher. ... > full story

Rainforest plant combats multi-resistant bacterial strains (February 20, 2012) -- Aggressive infections in hospitals are an increasing health problem worldwide. The development of bacterial resistance is alarming. Now a young Danish scientist has found a natural substance in a Chilean rainforest plant that effectively supports the effect of traditional treatment with antibiotics. ... > full story

Global permafrost zones in high-resolution images on Google Earth (February 20, 2012) -- Thawing permafrost will have far-reaching ramifications for populated areas, infrastructure and ecosystems. A geographer in Switzerland reveals where it is important to confront the issue based on new permafrost maps – the most precise global maps around. They depict the global distribution of permafrost in high-resolution images and are available on Google Earth. ... > full story

Yosemite's alpine chipmunks take genetic hit from climate change (February 19, 2012) -- Global warming has driven Yosemite's alpine chipmunks to higher ground, prompting a startling decline in the species' genetic diversity, according to a new study. The genetic erosion occurred in the relatively short span of 90 years, highlighting the rapid threat changing climate can pose to a species. ... > full story

Faulty fat sensor implicated in obesity and liver disease (February 19, 2012) -- Defects in a protein that functions as a dietary fat sensor may be a cause of obesity and liver disease, according to a new study. The findings highlight a promising target for new drugs to treat obesity and metabolic disorders. ... > full story

Surprising molecular switch: Lipids help control the development of cell polarity (February 19, 2012) -- In a standard biology textbook, cells tend to look more or less the same from all sides. But in real life cells have fronts and backs, tops and bottoms, and they orient many of their structures according to this polarity explaining, for example, why yeast cells bud at one end and not the other. ... > full story

New brain connections form in clusters during learning (February 19, 2012) -- New connections between brain cells emerge in clusters in the brain as animals learn to perform a new task, according to a new study. The findings reveal details of how brain circuits are rewired during the formation of new motor memories. ... > full story

Protein that sends 'painful touch' signals identified (February 19, 2012) -- Researchers report that they have identified a class of proteins that detect "painful touch." Scientists have known that sensory nerves in our skin detect pressure, pain, heat, cold, and other stimuli using specialized "ion channel" proteins in their outer membranes. They have only just begun, however, to identify and characterize the specific proteins involved in each of these sensory pathways. The new work provides evidence that a family of sensory nerve proteins known as piezo proteins are ion channel proteins essential to the sensation of painful touch. ... > full story

Building blocks of early Earth survived collision that created moon (February 18, 2012) -- Unexpected new findings by geochemists show that some portions of the Earth's mantle (the rocky layer between Earth's metallic core and crust) formed when the planet was much smaller than it is now, and that some of this early-formed mantle survived Earth's turbulent formation, including a collision with another planet-sized body that many scientists believe led to the creation of the moon. ... > full story

Nasty 'superbug' emerging? Strikes otherwise healthy, young patients (February 17, 2012) -- Researchers are expressing concern about a new, under-recognized, much more potent variant of a common bacterium that has surfaced in the U.S. It's virulent, potentially drug-resistant, and strikes otherwise healthy, young patients. ... > full story

Staghorn coral transplanted to threatened reef (February 17, 2012) -- In a delicate operation at sea, healthy staghorn coral were transplanted to a threatened reef off Florida's Broward County coast. ... > full story

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

Live from the thymus: T-cells on the move (February 17, 2012) -- For the first time, scientists follow the development of individual immune cells in a living zebrafish embryo. T-cells are the immune system's security force. They seek out pathogens and rogue cells in the body and put them out of action. Their precursors are formed in the bone marrow and migrate from there into the thymus. Here, they mature and differentiate to perform a variety of tasks. Scientists have now succeeded for the first time in observing the maturation of immune cells in live zebrafish embryos. ... > 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

'Honeycombs' and hexacopters help tell story of Mars (February 16, 2012) -- In a rough-and-tumble wonderland of plunging canyons and towering buttes, some of the still-raw bluffs are lined with soaring, six-sided stone columns so orderly and trim, they could almost pass as relics of a colossal temple. The secret of how these columns, packed in edge to edge, formed en masse from a sea of molten rock is encrypted in details as tiny as the cracks running across their faces. To add to this mystery's allure, decoding it might do more than reveal the life story of some local lava: it might help explain the history of Mars. ... > full story

'Mini-cellulose' molecule unlocks biofuel chemistry (February 16, 2012) -- Chemical engineers have discovered a small molecule that behaves the same as cellulose when it is converted to biofuel. Studying this "mini-cellulose" molecule reveals for the first time the chemical reactions that take place in wood and prairie grasses during high-temperature conversion to biofuel. ... > full story

Gecko feet inspire amazing glue that can hold 700 pounds on smooth wall (February 16, 2012) -- Biologists have long been amazed by gecko feet, which allow 5-ounce lizards to produce an adhesive force equivalent to carrying 9 lbs. up a wall without slipping. Now, a team of polymer scientists and a biologist have invented “Geckskin,” an adhesive device that can hold 700 pounds on a smooth wall. ... > full story

DNA nanorobot triggers targeted therapeutic responses (February 16, 2012) -- A new robotic device made from DNA could potentially seek out specific cell targets and deliver important molecular instructions, such as telling cancer cells to self-destruct. Inspired by the mechanics of the body's own immune system, the technology represents a major breakthrough in the field of nanobiotechnology and might one day be used to program immune responses to treat various diseases. ... > full story

New molecular map to guide development of new treatments for multiple sclerosis and other diseases (February 16, 2012) -- Scientists have created the first high-resolution virtual image of cellular structures called S1P1 receptors, which are critical in controlling the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis and other diseases. This new molecular map is already pointing researchers toward promising new paths for drug discovery and aiding them in better understanding how certain existing drugs work. ... > full story

Light shed on how body fends off bacteria (February 16, 2012) -- Scientists have developed the first 3D look at the interaction between an immune sensor and a protein that helps bacteria move. ... > full story

Chimp haven gets an upgrade (February 16, 2012) -- With its miles and miles of dense swamp forest, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo has long been a wildlife haven. It's home to an unusual primate population: so-called "naïve" chimpanzees, who have so little exposure to humans that they investigate the conservationists who study them, instead of running away. These curious chimps got a recent boost when Congo formally expanded Nouabalé-Ndoki to protect them. Known as the Goualougo Triangle, the 100-plus square-mile forest and its unique great ape population was first reported in 1989 by WCS conservationists. ... > full story

To understand chromosome reshuffling, look to the genome's 3-D structure (February 16, 2012) -- That our chromosomes can break and reshuffle pieces of themselves is nothing new; scientists have recognized this for decades, especially in cancer cells. The rules for where chromosomes are likely to break and how the broken pieces come together are only just now starting to come into view. Researchers have brought those rules into clearer focus by discovering that where each of the genome's thousands of genes lie within the cell's nucleus -- essentially, the genome's three-dimensional organization -- holds great influence over where broken chromosome ends rejoin. This knowledge could shed light on fundamental processes related to cancer and normal cellular functions -- for example, in immunity. ... > full story

New ability to regrow blood vessels holds promise for treatment of heart disease (February 16, 2012) -- Researchers have demonstrated a new and more effective method for regrowing blood vessels in the heart and limbs -- a research advancement that could have major implications for how we treat heart disease, the leading cause of death in the Western world. ... > full story

Nanoparticles may enhance cancer therapy (February 16, 2012) -- A mixture of current drugs and carbon nanoparticles shows potential to enhance treatment for head-and-neck cancers, especially when combined with radiation therapy, according to new research. ... > full story

Fossilized pollen unlocks secrets of ancient royal garden (February 16, 2012) -- The garden at the 2,500-year-old palace of Ramat Rahel in Israel hasn't been in bloom for more than two millennia. But now researchers say that pollen recovered from its plaster walls will permit them to reconstruct it for public enjoyment once again. ... > full story

New hope for threatened freshwater dolphins in Asia (February 16, 2012) -- The Government of Bangladesh recently declared three new wildlife sanctuaries for endangered freshwater dolphins in the world's largest mangrove ecosystem – the Sundarbans, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society whose conservation work helped pinpoint the locations of the protected areas. ... > full story

Preventing the Tasmanian devil's downfall: Genome of contagious cancer sheds light on disease origin and spread (February 16, 2012) -- Researchers have sequenced the genome of a contagious cancer that is threatening the Tasmanian devil, the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, with extinction. Cataloguing the mutations present in the cancer has led to clues about where the cancer came from and how it became contagious. ... > full story

Genes may travel from plant to plant to fuel evolution (February 16, 2012) -- Evolutionary biologists have documented for the first time that plants pass genes from plant to plant to fuel their evolutionary development. The researchers found enzymes key to photosynthesis had been shared among plants with only a distant ancestral relationship. The genes were incorporated into the metabolic cycle of the recipient plant, aiding adaptation. ... > full story

Fruit flies use alcohol as a drug to kill parasites (February 16, 2012) -- Fruit flies infected with a blood-borne parasite consume alcohol to self-medicate, a behavior that greatly increases their survival rate, a new study finds. The researchers say the results are the first to show that alcohol consumption can have a protective effect against infectious disease, and in particular against blood-borne parasites. The data raises an important question: Could other organisms, perhaps even humans, control blood-borne parasites through high doses of alcohol? ... > full story

Secret of sperm quality control revealed (February 16, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered how the "guardian of the genome'' oversees quality control in the production of sperm -- and perhaps in many other cells as well. ... > full story

Anthrax-killing foam proves effective in meth lab cleanup, study suggests (February 16, 2012) -- A decontamination foam, developed more than a decade ago and used to decontaminate federal office buildings and mailrooms during the 2001 anthrax attacks, is now being used to decontaminate illegal methamphetamine labs. ... > full story

The splice of life: Proteins cooperate to regulate gene splicing (February 16, 2012) -- In a step toward deciphering the “splicing code” of the human genome, researchers have comprehensively analyzed six of the more highly expressed RNA binding proteins collectively known as heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoparticle (hnRNP) proteins. ... > full story

Food scientists fortify goat cheese with fish oil to deliver healthy omega-3 fatty acids (February 16, 2012) -- Fish oil is an underused ingredient in the food industry because of its association with a strong odor and aftertaste. A new study shows that fish oil can be added to goat cheese to deliver high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids without compromising taste or shelf-life. ... > full story

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