The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Monday, March 5, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Monday, March 5, 2012

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The future of plant science: A technology perspective (March 2, 2012) -- Plant science is key to addressing the major challenges facing humanity in the 21st Century, according to experts. Researchers argue that the development of new technology is key to transforming plant biology in order to meet human needs. ... > full story

Unexpected crustacean diversity discovered in northern freshwater ecosystems (March 2, 2012) -- Freshwater ecosystems in northern regions are home to significantly more species of water fleas than traditionally thought, adding to evidence that regions with vanishing waters contain unique animal life. ... > full story

When our eyes serve our stomach (March 2, 2012) -- Our senses aren't just delivering a strict view of what's going on in the world; they're affected by what's going on in our heads. A new study finds that hungry people see food-related words more clearly than people who've just eaten. ... > full story

Gasoline worse than diesel when it comes to some types of air pollution (March 2, 2012) -- The exhaust fumes from gasoline vehicles contribute more to the production of a specific type of air pollution-secondary organic aerosols -than those from diesel vehicles, according to a new study. ... > full story

Helping protect vulnerable birds from impacts of climate change (March 2, 2012) -- Scientists have completed an innovative study of the effects of climate change on bird species of greatest concern. This novel study prioritizes which birds are most at risk and will help guide conservation measures in California. Endangered species and wetland birds are two highly vulnerable groups. ... > full story

Anthropologists’ work prompts Republic of Congo to enlarge National Park (March 2, 2012) -- Research by anthropologists has spurred the Republic of Congo to enlarge its Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park boundaries to include the Goualougo Triangle. The Goualougo Triangle is a remote, pristine forest that is home to at least 14 communities of “naïve” chimpanzees with little exposure to humans. ... > full story

Law that regulates shark fishery is too liberal, experts say (March 2, 2012) -- Shark fins are worth more than other parts of the shark and are often removed from the body, which gets thrown back into the sea. To curtail this wasteful practice, many countries allow the fins to be landed detached from shark bodies, as long as their weight does not exceed five per cent of the total shark catch. New research shows that this kind of legislation is too liberal. ... > full story

Cocoa may enhance skeletal muscle function (March 2, 2012) -- A small clinical trial found that patients with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes showed improved mitochondrial structure after three months of treatment with epicatechin-enriched cocoa. Epicatechin is a flavonoid found in dark chocolate. ... > full story

Effects of environmental toxicants reach down through generations (March 2, 2012) -- Scientists have now demonstrated that a variety of environmental toxicants can have negative effects on not just an exposed animal but the next three generations of its offspring. The animal's DNA sequence remains unchanged, but the compounds change the way genes turn on and off -- the epigenetic effect, according to molecular biologists. The researchers saw females reaching puberty earlier, increased rates in the decay and death of sperm cells and lower numbers of ovarian follicles that later become eggs. ... > full story

Protecting living fossil trees (March 2, 2012) -- Scientists are working to protect living fossil trees in Fiji from the impact of climate change with cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology. ... > full story

Nearby chimpanzee populations show much greater genetic diversity than distant human populations (March 2, 2012) -- Chimpanzee populations living in relatively close proximity are substantially more different genetically than humans living on different continents, according to a new study. The study suggests that genomics can provide a valuable new tool for use in chimpanzee conservation, with the potential to identify the population of origin of an individual chimpanzee or the provenance of a sample of bush meat. ... > full story

Artificial 'womb' unlocks secrets of early embryo development (March 2, 2012) -- Pioneering work has helped reveal for the first time a vital process in the development of the early mammalian embryo. ... > full story

When one side does not know about the other one: Specialization and cooperation of the brain hemispheres (March 2, 2012) -- Whenever we are doing something, one of our brain hemispheres is more active than the other one. However, some tasks are only solvable with both sides working together. Researchers are investigating, how such specializations and co-operations arise. Based on a pigeon-model, they are showing for the first time in an experimental way, that the ability to combine complex impressions from both hemispheres, depends on environmental factors in the embryonic stage. ... > full story

Fukushima one year on: poor planning hampered Fukushima response (March 2, 2012) -- One year after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, an independent investigation panel has highlighted the country’s failures in disaster planning and crisis management for the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The article shows that agencies were thoroughly unprepared for the cascading nuclear disaster, following a tsunami that should have been anticipated. ... > full story

A healthy teenager is a happy teenager (March 2, 2012) -- Teenagers who turn their backs on a healthy lifestyle and turn to drink, cigarettes and junk food are significantly unhappier than their healthier peers. New research also shows that 12-13 is a catalyst age when young people turn away from the healthy habits of their younger years and start to get involved in risky behaviors. ... > full story

New antibiotics? Solving mystery of how sulfa drugs kill bacteria yields 21st century drug development target (March 2, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a key enzyme structure in bacteria, a finding that lays the foundation for a new generation of antibiotics that are safer and less prone to drug resistance. ... > full story

Should we play hide-and-go-seek with our children's vegetables? (March 1, 2012) -- Pass the peas please! How often do we hear our children say this? According to a recent survey of adolescents, only 21 percent of our children eat the recommended five or more fruits and vegetables per day. So not very many children are asking their parents to "pass the peas," and parents are resorting to other methods to get their children to eat their vegetables. ... > full story

First evidence of hunting by prehistoric people in what is now Ohio (March 1, 2012) -- Cut marks found on Ice Age bones indicate that humans in what is now Ohio hunted or scavenged earlier than previously known. A series of 41 incisions appear on an animal's left femur. Radiocarbon dating of the femur bone estimates its age to be between 13,435 to 13,738 years old. Microscopic analyses of the cut marks revealed that stone tools made the marks. ... > full story

Turning off small RNA: New tool designed for breaking the epigenetic code (March 1, 2012) -- Scientists have known for years that minuscule strings of genetic material called small RNA are critically important to our genetic makeup, but finding out what they do hasn't been easy. Now scientists have developed a way to turn off small RNAs and find out just how important they can be. ... > full story

Clearer picture of how protein machine systems tweak gene expression (March 1, 2012) -- Biologists have found that specific types of RNA polymerase enzymes, the molecular machines that convert DNA into RNA, can differ in function based on variation in the parts -- in this case protein subunits -- used to assemble those machines. ... > full story

Bacteria communicate by touch, new research suggests (March 1, 2012) -- What if bacteria could talk to each other? What if they had a sense of touch? A new study suggests both, and theorizes that such cells may, in fact, need to communicate in order to perform certain functions. ... > full story

Sturdy Scandinavian conifers survived Ice Age (March 1, 2012) -- Until now, it was presumed that the last glacial period denuded the Scandinavian landscape of trees until a gradual return of milder weather began and melted away the ice cover some 9,000 years ago. New research shows that some Scandinavian conifers survived the inhospitable ice age climate likely for several thousands of years. ... > full story

Ocean acidification rate may be unprecedented, study says (March 1, 2012) -- The world's oceans may be turning acidic faster today from human carbon emissions than they did during four major extinctions in the last 300 million years, when natural pulses of carbon sent global temperatures soaring, says a new study. The study is the first of its kind to survey the geologic record for evidence of ocean acidification over this vast time period. ... > full story

Generating power from salty water: Unique salt allows energy production to move inland (March 1, 2012) -- Production of energy from the difference between salt water and fresh water is most convenient near the oceans, but now, using an ammonium bicarbonate salt solution, researchers can combine bacterial degradation of waste water with energy extracted from the salt-water fresh-water gradient to produce power anywhere. ... > full story

First computer model of how buds grow into leaves (March 1, 2012) -- Leaves come in all shapes and sizes. Scientists have discovered the simple rules that control leaf shape during growth. Using this "recipe," they have developed the first computer model able to accurately emulate leaf growth from a bud. ... > full story

Antibodies are not required for immunity against some viruses (March 1, 2012) -- A new study turns the well established theory that antibodies are required for antiviral immunity upside down and reveals that an unexpected partnership between the specific and non-specific divisions of the immune system is critical for fighting some types of viral infections. The research may lead to a new understanding of the best way to help protect those exposed to potentially lethal viruses, such as the rabies virus. ... > full story

Breaking up isn't hard to do: The secret lives of corals on dark and stormy nights (March 1, 2012) -- Forming a unique part of the animal kingdom, corals have built the only living entity visible from space: the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists have recently discovered a previously unknown reproductive strategy in corals, adding another dimension to our understanding of their complex life cycles. ... > full story

Pioneering research reveals versatile bacterium's secrets (March 1, 2012) -- Ground-breaking research will help to make one of the most versatile of bacteria even more useful to society and the environment. Though it lives naturally in the soil, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis is widely used as a model laboratory organism. It is also used as a 'cell factory' to produce vitamins for the food industry and, in biotechnology, to produce enzymes such as those used in washing powders. ... > full story

Protein complex affects cells' ability to move, respond to external cues (March 1, 2012) -- Scientists have explained for the first time how a long-studied protein complex affects cell migration and how external cues affect cell’s ability to migrate. ... > full story

Nutrient found in dark meat of poultry, some seafood, may have cardiovascular benefits (March 1, 2012) -- A nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease in women with high cholesterol, according to a new study. ... > full story

What makes a robot fish attractive? Robot fish moves to the head of the school (March 1, 2012) -- Probing the largely unexplored question of what characteristics make a leader among schooling fish, researchers have discovered that by mimicking nature, a robotic fish can transform into a leader of live ones. In early experiments aimed at understanding how a robot could potentially lead wildlife from danger, the researchers were intrigued to find that their biomimetic robotic fish could not only infiltrate and be accepted by the swimmers, but actually assume a leadership role. ... > full story

Study of wildfire trends in Northwestern California shows no increase in severity over time (March 1, 2012) -- Even though wildfires have increased in size over time, they haven't necessarily grown in severity nor had corresponding negative impacts to the ecosystem, according to a recent study. ... > full story

Carbon dioxide catchers: New tools for identifying effective carbon capture technologies (March 1, 2012) -- Using techniques from drug discovery, and state-of-the-art advances in mathematics, computational algorithms and supercomputing, researchers have developed a tool for identifying the most efficient porous materials for CO2. ... > full story

Fancy footwork and non-stick leg coating helps spiders not stick to their own webs (March 1, 2012) -- Researchers asked why spiders do not stick to their own sticky webs. Repeating old, widely quoted but poorly documented studies with modern equipment and techniques, they discovered that spiders' legs are protected by a covering of branching hairs and by a non-stick chemical coating and that they modify their behavior to avoid getting stuck. ... > full story

Depression: An evolutionary byproduct of immune system? (March 1, 2012) -- Depression is common enough -- afflicting one in ten adults in the United States -- that it seems the possibility of depression must be "hard-wired" into our brains. This has led biologists to propose several theories to account for how depression, or behaviors linked to it, can somehow offer an evolutionary advantage. Some previous proposals for the role of depression in evolution have focused on how it affects behavior in a social context. A pair of psychiatrists addresses this puzzle in a different way, tying together depression and resistance to infection. They propose that genetic variations that promote depression arose during evolution because they helped our ancestors fight infection. ... > full story

Leatherback turtle migration study identifies Pacific danger zones for endangered species (March 1, 2012) -- The majestic leatherback turtle is the largest sea turtle in the world, growing to more than 6 feet in length. It is also one of the most threatened. A major new study of migration patterns has identified high-use areas -- potential danger zones -- in the Pacific Ocean for this critically endangered species. This new understanding could help inform decisions about fishing practices to help reduce further deaths of this fragile species. ... > full story

Floor of oldest fossilized forest discovered: 385 million years old (March 1, 2012) -- The floor of the world’s oldest forest has been unearthed. Scientists are now piecing together a view of this ancient site, dating back about 385 million years ago, which could shed new light on the role of modern-day forests and their impact on climate change. ... > full story

Alternative fuels expert plans coast-to-coast U.S. trip on 10 gallons of gas or less (March 1, 2012) -- An alternative fuels expert firmly believes he can go coast-to-coast on l0 gallons of gasoline or less. His attempts will be March 3-8, 2012, and in 2013. ... > full story

Bacteria tend leafcutter ants' gardens (March 1, 2012) -- New research points to two important roles for bacteria that live in the underground fungal gardens of leafcutter ants: they help decompose leaves that ants bring to the gardens and play a major role in turning those leaves into nutrients for both ants and the fungi. The findings could help researchers studying fungal enzymes to convert plants into biofuel. ... > full story

How E. coli bacteria hijack cells' directional mechanism (March 1, 2012) -- Working in the emerging field of systems biology, researchers mathematically predicted how bacteria that cause food poisoning hijack a cell's sense of direction and then confirmed those predictions in living cells. ... > full story

New possibilities for immune suppression through cyclic plant peptides (March 1, 2012) -- Scientists have decoded a mechanism in cyclic plant peptides, known as cyclotides, from the family of coffee plants (Rubiaceae) that could open up new possibilities for immune suppression. ... > full story

Thickest parts of Arctic ice cap melting faster (February 29, 2012) -- A new study revealed that the oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is disappearing at a faster rate than the younger and thinner ice at the edges of the Arctic Ocean's floating ice cap. ... > full story

New infant formula ingredients boost babies' immunity by feeding their gut bacteria (February 29, 2012) -- Adding prebiotic ingredients to infant formula helps colonize the newborn's gut with a stable population of beneficial bacteria, and probiotics enhance immunity in formula-fed infants, two studies report. ... > full story

Earthworms to blame for decline of ovenbirds in northern Midwest forests (February 29, 2012) -- A recent decline in ovenbirds, a ground-nesting migratory songbird, in forests in the northern Midwest United States is being linked by scientists to a seemingly unlikely culprit: earthworms. ... > full story

How insects 'remodel' their bodies between life stages (February 29, 2012) -- How is it that an insect can remake itself so completely that it appears to be a different creature altogether, not just once, but several times in its lifetime? Working with fruit flies scientists found that genes whose expression is induced by pulses of steroid hormone are key to these transformations. A similar mechanism may underlie puberty -- the human analog of metamorphosis. ... > full story

Finding a potent new energy source by listening for Earth's gas bubbles? (February 29, 2012) -- What if we could cheaply and efficiently detect a potent new energy source, while also monitoring for environmental safety? Physicists are using the symphony of sound produced in the ocean to do just that. ... > full story

Astronomers rediscover life on Earth -- by looking at the moon (February 29, 2012) -- By observing the Moon using ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have found evidence of life in the universe -- on Earth. Finding life on our home planet may sound like a trivial observation, but the novel approach may lead to future discoveries of life elsewhere in the universe. ... > full story

When continents collide: New twist to 50-million-year-old tale (February 29, 2012) -- Fifty million years ago, India slammed into Eurasia, a collision that gave rise to the tallest landforms on the planet, the Himalaya Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau. ... > full story