The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, February 22, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily's email newsletter. You can change your subscription options or unsubscribe at any time.

Rare fungus kills endangered rattlesnakes in southern Illinois (February 21, 2012) -- A small population of rattlesnakes that already is in decline in southern Illinois faces a new and unexpected threat in the form of a fungus rarely seen in the wild, researchers report. The finding matches reports of rattlesnake deaths in the northeast United States. ... > full story

Cell energy sensor mechanism discovered (February 21, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing “thermostat” protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves. The researchers have shown that a chemical modification on the thermostat protein changes how it’s controlled. Without the modification, cells use stored energy, and with it, they default to stockpiling resources. When cells don’t properly allocate their energy supply, they can die off or become cancerous. ... > full story

Origin of photosynthesis revealed: Genome analysis of 'living fossil' sheds light on the evolution of plants (February 21, 2012) -- Evolutionary biologists have shed light on the early events leading to photosynthesis, the result of the sequencing of 70 million base pair nuclear genome of the one-celled alga Cyanophora. They consider this study the final piece of the puzzle to understand the origin of photosynthesis in eukaryotes. ... > full story

Is fructose being blamed unfairly for obesity epidemic? (February 21, 2012) -- Is fructose being unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic? Or do we just eat and drink too many calories? Researchers reviewed more than 40 published studies on whether the fructose molecule itself causes weight gain. In 31 "isocaloric" trials they reviewed, participants ate a similar number of calories, but one group ate pure fructose and the other ate non-fructose carbohydrates. The fructose group did not gain weight. ... > full story

Molecular basis of touch sensation: Researchers identify new function of a well-known gene (February 21, 2012) -- A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists have now discovered. They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene. ... > full story

Irish mammals under serious threat from 'invasional meltdown' (February 21, 2012) -- Some of Ireland's oldest inhabitants are facing serious threat and possible extinction because of foreign species, according to researchers. ... > full story

Ant colonies remember rivals' odor and compete like sports fans (February 21, 2012) -- A new study has shown that weaver ants share a collective memory for the odor of ants in rival nests, and use the information to identify them and compete, similar to how sports fans know each other instantly by their unique colors. ... > full story

Gases drawn into smog particles stay there (February 21, 2012) -- Airborne gases get sucked into stubborn smog particles from which they cannot escape, according to new findings. These finding could explain why air pollution models underestimate organic aerosols. ... > full story

Scientists unlock evolutionary secret of blood vessels (February 21, 2012) -- Scientists have shed light on how vertebrates evolved closed circulation systems designed to more effectively carry blood to organs and tissues. ... > full story

Evolution of staph 'superbug' traced between humans and livestock (February 21, 2012) -- A strain of the potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant bacterium known as MRSA has jumped from livestock to humans, according to a new study. ... > full story

Tadpoles adjust buoyancy to adapt to different environments (February 21, 2012) -- Survival and reproduction of many aquatic and semi-aquatic animals can depend upon how well they float. Tadpoles use various strategies to attain buoyancy, depending upon their stage of development and location in still or turbulent waters. Researchers have taken a closer look at the developing frog's strategies to achieve buoyancy. ... > full story

Iconic marine mammals are 'swimming in sick seas' of terrestrial pathogens (February 21, 2012) -- Parasites and pathogens infecting humans, pets and farm animals are increasingly being detected in marine mammals such as sea otters, porpoises, harbor seals and killer whales along the Pacific coast of the US and Canada, and better surveillance is required to monitor public health implications, according to a panel of scientific experts from Canada and the United States. ... > full story

Robotic dinosaurs on the way for next-gen paleontology (February 21, 2012) -- Researchers are bringing the latest technological advancements in 3-D printing to the study of ancient life. Using scale models of real fossils, for the first time, they will be able to test hypotheses about how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals moved and lived in their environments. ... > full story

Environmental pollutant level during pregnancy linked with grown daughters who are overweight (February 21, 2012) -- The levels of the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that mothers had in their blood during pregnancy increased the risk of obesity in their daughters at 20 years of age. ... > full story

Eat and let die: Insect feeds on toxic plants for protection from predators (February 21, 2012) -- Certain insects, such as the African variegated grasshopper or the cinnabar moth, native in Europe and Asia, feed on toxic plants in order to protect themselves from predators. ... > full story

Gene affecting the ability to sleep discovered in fruit flies (February 20, 2012) -- On the surface, it's simple: when night falls, our bodies get sleepy. But behind the scenes, a series of complex molecular events, controlled by our genes, is hard at work to make us groggy. Now, research suggests that a newly identified gene known as insomniac may play a role in keeping us asleep. By cloning and testing this gene in fruit flies researchers say they have discovered an entirely new mechanism by which sleep is regulated. ... > full story

300-million-year-old forest discovered preserved in volanic ash (February 20, 2012) -- Pompeii-like, a 300-million-year-old tropical forest was preserved in ash when a volcano erupted in what is today northern China. Paleobotanists have reconstructed this fossilized forest, lending insight into the ecology and climate of its time. ... > full story

Taking Earth's pulse: Scientists unveil a new economic and environmental index (February 20, 2012) -- A growing world population, mixed with the threat of climate change and mounting financial problems, has prompted researchers to measure the overall "health" of 152 countries around the world. ... > full story

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

How the tiger got its stripes: Proving Turing's tiger stripe theory (February 19, 2012) -- Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence confirming a great British mathematician's theory of how biological patterns such as tiger stripes or leopard spots are formed. ... > 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

Glaciers: A window into human impact on the global carbon cycle (February 19, 2012) -- New clues as to how the Earth's remote ecosystems have been influenced by the industrial revolution are locked, frozen in the ice of glaciers. ... > full story

A classic model for ecological stability revised, 40 years later (February 19, 2012) -- A famous mathematical formula which shook the world of ecology 40 years ago has been revisited and refined. ... > 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

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