The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Monday, February 27, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Monday, February 27, 2012

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European Neanderthals were on the verge of extinction even before the arrival of modern humans (February 25, 2012) -- Most Neanderthals in Europe died off around 50,000 years ago, new research suggests. The previously held view of a Europe populated by a stable Neanderthal population for hundreds of thousands of years up until modern humans arrived must therefore be revised, researchers say. ... > full story

Bird brains follow the beat (February 24, 2012) -- By training birds to ‘get rhythm’, scientists uncover evidence that our capacity to move in time with music may be connected with our ability to learn speech. ... > full story

NASA pinning down where 'here' is better than ever (February 24, 2012) -- Before our Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation devices can tell us where we are, the satellites that make up the GPS need to know exactly where they are. For that, they rely on a network of sites that serve as "you are here" signs planted throughout the world. The catch is, the sites don't sit still because they're on a planet that isn't at rest, yet modern measurements require more and more accuracy in pinpointing where "here" is. To meet this need, NASA is helping to lead an international effort to upgrade the four systems that supply this crucial location information. ... > full story

Erosional origin of linear dunes on Earth and Saturn's moon Titan (February 24, 2012) -- Linear dunes, widespread on Earth and Saturn's moon, Titan, are generally considered to have been formed by deposits of windblown sand. It has been speculated for some time that some linear dunes may have formed by "wind-rift" erosion, but this model has commonly been rejected due to lack of sufficient evidence. Now, new research indicates that erosional origin models should not be ruled out. ... > full story

Neither birth nor death stops a flock, new theory shows (February 24, 2012) -- Neither births nor deaths stop the flocking of organisms. They just keep moving, says a theoretical physicist. The notion, he says, has implications in biology and eventually could point to new cancer therapies. ... > full story

Cunning super-parasitic wasps sniff out protected aphids and overwhelm their defenses (February 24, 2012) -- In the war between parasite and host, the parasitic wasp and the pea aphid are locked in a battle for survival. New research shows that this cunning parasite sniffs out differences between protected and unprotected aphids, and alters its egg-laying strategy, in order to overwhelm aphid defenses and ensure survival of wasp offspring. The wasp lays an egg inside the pea aphid, where the egg hatches and converts the aphid's insides into a wasp nursery. The wasp larva uses the still-living aphid as a food source, eventually pupating inside the aphid and emerging as a fully-formed mature wasp. However the pea aphid is not defenseless. It is protected by a bacterial symbiont. ... > full story

CFC substitutes: Good for the ozone layer, bad for climate? (February 24, 2012) -- The Montreal Protocol led to a global phase-out of most substances that deplete the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). A happy side-effect of the gradual ban of these products is that the Earth’s climate has also benefited because CFCs are also potent greenhouse gases. However, now a "rebound effect" threatens to accelerate the rate of global warming. ... > full story

Female sex hormones can weaken the ability of fish to protect themselves against environmental toxins (February 24, 2012) -- It is well known that female sex hormones (estrogens) that end up in rivers and lakes, primarily via spillage from sewers and livestock farming, pose a threat to the environment. Some environmental toxins can also have the same impact as estrogens. One example of such substances are degradation products (metabolites) from the pollutant PCB. ... > full story

Car tracks beyond the asphalt (February 24, 2012) -- The contamination caused by road traffic not only affects the air, it also seeps under the asphalt and harms the adjacent soil and plants. A chemist has delved into the subject and studied the extent of the impact of the metals emitted by cars. Likewise, he has analyzed their consequences in the short, medium and long term. ... > full story

New strategies for treatment of infectious diseases (February 24, 2012) -- The immune system protects from infections by detecting and eliminating invading pathogens. These two strategies form the basis of conventional clinical approaches in the fight against infectious diseases. Scientists now propose that a third strategy needs to be considered: tolerance to infection, whereby the infected host protects itself from infection by reducing tissue damage and other negative effects caused by the pathogen or the immune response against the invader. ... > full story

Blood mystery solved: Two new blood types identified (February 23, 2012) -- You probably know your blood type: A, B, AB or O. You may even know if you're Rhesus positive or negative. But how about the Langereis blood type? Or the Junior blood type? Positive or negative? Most people have never even heard of these. Yet this knowledge could be "a matter of life and death." While blood transfusion problems due to Langereis and Junior blood types are rare worldwide, several ethnic populations are at risk. ... > full story

Mobile DNA elements can disrupt gene expression and cause biological variation, study shows (February 23, 2012) -- The many short pieces of mobile DNA that exist in the genome can contribute to important biological differences between strains of mice, according to a new study. The mobile DNA, sometimes called jumping genes, can disrupt gene expression even from a distance, with the disruption influenced by the gender of the parent that supplied it. The findings reveal a mechanism of natural variation in animals and humans that may apply to cancer and other diseases. ... > full story

Eating citrus fruit may lower women's stroke risk (February 23, 2012) -- Eating higher amounts of a compound in citrus fruits, especially oranges and grapefruit, may lower ischemic stroke risk. Women who ate high amounts of the compound had a 19 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke than women who consumed the least amount. ... > full story

Neurotoxins in shark fins: A human health concern (February 23, 2012) -- Sharks are among the most threatened of marine species worldwide due to unsustainable overfishing. They are primarily killed for their fins to fuel the growing demand for shark fin soup, which is an Asia delicacy. A new study has discovered high concentrations of BMAA in shark fins, a neurotoxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases in humans including Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig Disease (ALS). The study suggests that consumption of shark fin soup and cartilage pills may pose a significant health risk for degenerative brain diseases. ... > full story

Lifestyle of naked mole-rats holds lifesaving clues (February 23, 2012) -- A biologist thinks the subterranean lifestyle of the naked mole-rat may hold clues to keeping brain cells alive and functioning when oxygen is scarce, as during a heart attack. The key may lie in how brain cells regulate their intake of calcium, he says. ... > full story

Climate change, increasing temperatures alter bird migration patterns (February 23, 2012) -- Birds in eastern North America are picking up the pace along their yearly migratory paths. The reason, according to researchers, is rising temperatures due to climate change. ... > full story

Key to growth differences between species (February 23, 2012) -- The tiny, little-noticed jewel wasp may provide some answers as to how different species differ in size and shape. And that could lead to a better understanding of cell growth regulation, as well as the underlying causes of some diseases. ... > full story

Earliest horses show past global warming affected body size of mammals (February 23, 2012) -- As scientists continue developing climate change projection models, paleontologists studying an extreme short-term global warming event have discovered direct evidence about how mammals respond to rising temperatures. Researchers have now found a correlation between temperature and body size in mammals by following the evolution of the earliest horses about 56 million years ago: As temperatures increased, their body size decreased. ... > full story

Disarming the botulinum neurotoxin (February 23, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered how botulinum neurotoxin, a potential bioterrorism agent, survives the hostile environment in the stomach on its journey through the human body. Their study reveals the first 3D structure of a neurotoxin together with its bodyguard, a protein made simultaneously in the same bacterium. This new information reveals the toxin's weak spot -- a point in the journey that can be targeted with new therapeutics. ... > full story

Classic Maya Civilization collapse related to modest rainfall reductions, research suggests (February 23, 2012) -- The disintegration of the Maya Civilization may have been related to relatively modest reductions in rainfall, according to new research. Rather modest rainfall reductions between times when the Classic Maya Civilization flourished and its collapse - between AD 800-950, seems to have caused the collapse. These reductions amount to only 25 to 40 per cent in annual rainfall, but they were large enough for evaporation to become dominant over rainfall, and open water availability was rapidly reduced, researchers say. ... > full story

Illegal orangutan trader prosecuted (February 23, 2012) -- Sumatra has made its first ever successful sentence of an illegal orangutan owner and trader in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. ... > full story

Aircraft of the future could capture and re-use some of their own power (February 23, 2012) -- Tomorrow's aircraft could contribute to their power needs by harnessing energy from the wheel rotation of their landing gear to generate electricity. They could use this to power their taxiing to and from airport buildings, reducing the need to use their jet engines. This would save on aviation fuel, cut emissions and reduce noise pollution at airports. ... > full story

'Storm of the century' may become 'storm of the decade' (February 23, 2012) -- Researchers report that projected increases in sea level and storm intensity brought on by climate change would make devastating storm surges -- the deadly and destructive mass of water pushed inland by large storms -- more frequent in low-lying coastal areas. Regions such as the New York City metropolitan area that currently experience a disastrous flood every century could instead become submerged every one or two decades. ... > full story

For fish, fear smells like sugar (February 23, 2012) -- When one fish gets injured, the rest of the school takes off in fear, tipped off by a mysterious substance known as "Schreckstoff" (meaning "scary stuff" in German). Now, researchers have figured out what that scary stuff is really made of. ... > full story

U.S. urban forests losing ground (February 23, 2012) -- National results indicate that tree cover in urban areas of the United States is declining at a rate of about 4 million trees per year. ... > full story

Bisphenol A exposure linked to increased risk of future onset of heart disease (February 23, 2012) -- Bisphenol A (BPA) is a controversial chemical widely used in the plastics industry. A new study followed people over a 10-year time period and shows that healthy people with higher urine concentrations of BPA were more likely to later develop heart disease. ... > full story

How cells brace themselves for starvation (February 23, 2012) -- Cells that repress their "bad time" pumps when a nutrient is abundant were much more efficient at preparing for starvation and at recovering afterward than the cells that had been genetically engineered to avoid this repression. ... > full story

Blue light culprit in red tide blooms (February 23, 2012) -- Researchers have uncovered the specific mechanism that triggers phytoplankton to release their powerful toxins into the environment. ... > full story

Protein assassin: Unfolded end of a protein can kill E. coli-like bacteria selectively (February 23, 2012) -- Scientists find that the unfolded end of a protein can kill E. coli-like bacteria selectively. The results may one day help scientists find new, more targeted ways to kill antibiotic-resistant microbes. ... > full story

Microbes may be engineered to help trap excess carbon dioxide underground (February 23, 2012) -- In H.G. Wells' classic science-fiction novel, The War of the Worlds, bacteria save Earth from destruction when the Martian invaders succumb to infections to which humans have become immune through centuries of evolution. If a team led by researchers has its way, bacteria -- with a little assist from science -- will help prevent global destruction for real by trapping underground a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, that threatens Earth's climate. ... > full story

Surprising diversity at a synapse hints at complex diversity of neural circuitry (February 22, 2012) -- A new study reveals a dazzling degree of biological diversity in an unexpected place – a single neural connection in the body wall of flies. ... > full story

If you're afraid of spiders, they seem bigger: Phobia's effect on perception of feared object allows fear to persist (February 22, 2012) -- The more afraid a person is of a spider, the bigger that individual perceives the spider to be, new research suggests. In the context of a fear of spiders, this warped perception doesn't necessarily interfere with daily living. But for individuals who are afraid of needles, for example, the conviction that needles are larger than they really are could lead people who fear injections to avoid getting the health care they need. A better understanding of how a phobia affects the perception of feared objects can help clinicians design more effective treatments for people who seek to overcome their fears, according to the researchers. ... > full story

Oil sands pollution comparable to a large power plant (February 22, 2012) -- In the first look at the overall effect of air pollution from the excavation of oil sands, also called tar sands, in Alberta, Canada, scientists used satellites to measure nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide emitted from the industry. ... > full story

Even in winter, life persists in Arctic Seas (February 22, 2012) -- Despite brutal cold and lingering darkness, life in the frigid waters off Alaska does not grind to a halt in the winter as scientists previously suspected. Microscopic creatures at the base of the Arctic food chain are not dormant as expected, according to new findings. ... > full story

Predator-prey relationships make possible the rich biodiversity of complex ecosystems (February 22, 2012) -- As scientists warn that the Earth is on the brink of a period of mass extinctions, they are struggling to identify ecosystem responses to environmental change. But to truly understand these responses, more information is needed about how the Earth's staggering diversity of species originated. ... > full story

Theory of the 'rotting' Y chromosome dealt a fatal blow (February 22, 2012) -- If you were to discover that a fundamental component of human biology has survived virtually intact for the past 25 million years, you’d be quite confident in saying that it is here to stay. Such is the case for a team of scientists, whose latest research on the evolution of the human Y chromosome confirms that the Y -— despite arguments to the contrary —- has a long, healthy future ahead of it. ... > full story

Low levels of fallout from Fukushima, U.S. study finds (February 22, 2012) -- Fallout from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power facility in Japan was measured in minimal amounts in precipitation in the United States in about 20 percent of 167 sites sampled in a nationwide U.S. study. ... > full story

Faster way to catch cells: New microfluidic device could be used to diagnose and monitor cancer and other diseases (February 22, 2012) -- Separating complex mixtures of cells, such as those found in a blood sample, can offer valuable information for diagnosing and treating disease. However, it may be necessary to search through billions of other cells to collect rare cells such as tumor cells, stem cells or fetal cells. Researchers have now demonstrated a new microfluidic device that can isolate target cells much faster than existing devices. Such technology could be used in applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and personalized medicine. ... > full story

New way to tap largest remaining treasure trove of potential new antibiotics (February 22, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting use of a new technology for sifting through the world's largest remaining pool of potential antibiotics to discover two new antibiotics that work against deadly resistant microbes, including the "superbugs" known as MRSA. ... > full story

Birds sing louder amidst the noise and structures of the urban jungle (February 22, 2012) -- Sparrows, blackbirds and the great tit are all birds known to sing at a higher pitch in urban environments. It was previously believed that these birds sang at higher frequencies in order to escape the lower frequencies noises of the urban environment. Now, researchers have discovered that besides noise, the physical structure of cities also plays a role in altering the birds' songs. ... > full story

Researchers take a step forward in transplanting pig cells to regenerate human cartilage (February 22, 2012) -- Researchers have recently studied the response of human NK cells against porcine chondrocytes. The results of the research indicate that these cells, characteristic of the innate immune system, play an important role in the rejection of xenotransplantation of porcine chondrocytes. ... > full story

What can animals' survival instincts tell us about understanding human emotion? (February 22, 2012) -- Can animals’ survival instincts shed additional light on what we know about human emotion? Neuroscientists pose this question in outlining a pioneering theory, drawn from two decades of research, that could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of emotions in both humans and animals. ... > full story

Earth's clouds are getting lower, NASA satellite finds (February 22, 2012) -- Earth's clouds got a little lower -- about one percent on average -- during the first decade of this century, finds a new NASA-funded university study based on NASA satellite data. The results have potential implications for future global climate. ... > full story

From Bass Strait to the Indian Ocean: Tracking a current (February 22, 2012) -- Deep-diving ocean "gliders" have revealed the journey of Bass Strait water from the Tasman Sea to the Indian Ocean. ... > full story

Tiny, implantable medical device can propel itself through bloodstream (February 22, 2012) -- For 50 years, scientists had searched for the secret to making tiny implantable devices that could travel through the bloodstream. Engineers have now demonstrated a wirelessly powered device that just may make the dream a reality. ... > full story

Newly identified oral bacterium linked to heart disease and meningitis (February 22, 2012) -- A novel bacterium, thought to be a common inhabitant of the oral cavity, has the potential to cause serious disease if it enters the bloodstream, according to a new study. ... > full story

Fried food risks: Toxic aldehydes detected in reheated oil (February 22, 2012) -- Researchers have been the first to discover the presence of certain aldehydes in food, which are believed to be related to some neurodegenerative diseases and some types of cancer. These toxic compounds can be found in some oils, such as sunflower oil, when heated at a suitable temperature for frying. ... > full story

Research may save florida bird, help conservationists everywhere (February 22, 2012) -- A team of researchers has found a key to improving long-term survival of the endangered Florida Scrub-Jay. “Clustered habitat networks” can maintain genetic diversity for a species at risk of extinction, and offer a model for similar conservation efforts. ... > full story

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