The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Monday, August 13, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Monday, August 13, 2012

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Rat and ant rescues 'don't show empathy' (August 12, 2012) -- Studies of how rats and ants rescue other members of their species do not prove that animals other than humans have empathy, according to biologists. ... > full story

Differences in the genomes of related plant pathogens (August 12, 2012) -- Even in closely related species, lifestyle molds the genetic makeup of pathogens and how their genes are used. ... > full story

Urban Sun Corridor 4 degrees warmer? (August 12, 2012) -- In the first study to attempt to quantify the impact of rapidly expanding megapolitan areas on regional climate, a team of researchers has established that local maximum summertime warming resulting from projected expansion of the urban Sun Corridor could approach 4 degrees Celsius. ... > full story

NASA conducts airborne study of Colorado landslide (August 11, 2012) -- NASA's C-20A (Gulfstream III) Earth science aircraft, carrying a specially designed synthetic aperture radar, recently completed the latest in a series of data collection flights over Colorado's centuries-old Slumgullion landslide. The goal of the research flights, funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate, is to aid scientists' understanding of the mechanisms controlling landslide motion. ... > full story

Of mice and melodies: Research on language gene seeks to uncover the origins of the singing mouse (August 10, 2012) -- Singing mice are unique rodents that use song to communicate. An important underlying gene that is thought to influence the singing behavior is a transcription factor called FOXP2, sometimes called the 'language gene' because it has been linked to speech disorders in humans. This information could help researchers find areas of the human FOXP2 gene that are associated with autism. ... > full story

Influence of heating techniques on red palm oil carotene levels (August 10, 2012) -- Researchers have studied carotene and antibacterial effects of microwave heated and conventional heated red palm oil (RPO). They discovered that conventional heating reduced its carotene levels but microwave heating retained a higher carotene content. ... > full story

Study of fruit fly chromosomes improves understanding of evolution and fertility (August 10, 2012) -- New research explores the evolution of sperm structure and function, through an analysis of Drosophila genes and gene products. The research has important implications for the study of human infertility as well. ... > full story

USDA: Ongoing drought causes significant crop yield declines (August 10, 2012) -- Corn production will drop 13 percent to a six-year low, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Aug. 10, confirming what many farmers already knew -- they are having a very bad year. ... > full story

NOAA raises hurricane season prediction despite expected El Niño (August 10, 2012) -- This year's Atlantic hurricane season got off to a busy start, with 6 named storms to date, and may have a busy second half, according to the updated hurricane season outlook issued Aug. 9, 2012 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The updated outlook still indicates a 50 percent chance of a near-normal season, but increases the chance of an above-normal season to 35 percent and decreases the chance of a below-normal season to only 15 percent from the initial outlook issued in May. ... > full story

50-year decline found in some Los Angeles vehicle-related pollutants (August 10, 2012) -- In California's Los Angeles Basin, levels of some vehicle-related air pollutants have decreased by about 98 percent since the 1960s, even as area residents now burn three times as much gasoline and diesel fuel. Between 2002 and 2010 alone, the concentration of air pollutants called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) dropped by half, according to a new study by NOAA scientists and colleagues. ... > full story

Why do organisms build tissues they seemingly never use? (August 10, 2012) -- Why, after millions of years of evolution, do organisms build structures that seemingly serve no purpose? A new study investigates the evolutionary reasons why organisms go through developmental stages that appear unnecessary. ... > full story

Earthquake risk in Europe detailed (August 10, 2012) -- For the first time, scientists have succeeded in setting up a harmonized catalog of earthquakes for Europe and the Mediterranean for the last thousand years. This catalog consists of about 45000 earthquakes. ... > full story

Mission discovers record depth for Lophelia coral on Gulf of Mexico energy platforms (August 10, 2012) -- A team of federal and university scientists on a 10-day expedition in the Gulf of Mexico has discovered Lophelia coral growing deeper than previously seen anywhere in the Gulf. Newly available information on Lophelia's growth rate and conditions will inform future environmental review and decision-making for the protection of deep-water coral habitats. ... > full story

Summer storm spins over Arctic (August 10, 2012) -- An unusually strong storm formed off the coast of Alaska on August 5 and tracked into the center of the Arctic Ocean, where it slowly dissipated over the next several days. Arctic storms such as this one can have a large impact on the sea ice, causing it to melt rapidly through many mechanisms, such as tearing off large swaths of ice and pushing them to warmer sites, churning the ice and making it slushier, or lifting warmer waters from the depths of the Arctic Ocean. ... > full story

NASA Global Hawk pilots face challenges flying hurricane missions (August 10, 2012) -- NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel, or HS3, mission will be a complex one for the pilots flying NASA's Global Hawk aircraft from the ground. The mission, set to begin this month, will be the first deployment for the unmanned aircraft away from their regular base of operations at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. In addition the pilots will be operating the aircraft from two locations on opposite coasts. ... > full story

'Selfish' DNA in animal mitochondria offers possible tool to study aging (August 10, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered, for the first time in any animal species, a type of "selfish" mitochondrial DNA that is actually hurting the organism and lessening its chance to survive – and bears a strong similarity to some damage done to human cells as they age. It could provide an important new model to study human aging. ... > full story

New regulatory mechanism discovered in cell system for eliminating unneeded proteins (August 10, 2012) -- A faulty gene linked to a rare blood vessel disorder has led investigators to discover a mechanism involved in determining the fate of possibly thousands of proteins working inside cells. ... > full story

How much nitrogen is fixed in the ocean? (August 10, 2012) -- In order to predict how the Earth's climate develops scientists have to know which gases and trace elements are naturally bound and released by the ocean and in which quantities. For nitrogen, an essential element for the production of biomass, there are many unanswered questions. Scientists have now published a research study showing that widely applied methods are part of the problem. ... > full story

North American freshwater fishes race to extinction: Rate of loss of species exceeds that of terrestrial animals (August 10, 2012) -- The rate of extinction of freshwater fishes in North America is estimated to be 877 times the historical background rate. Thirty-nine species have gone extinct since the end of the 19th Century. Between 53 and 86 species are likely to have gone extinct by 2050, according to new estimates. ... > full story

Populations survive despite many deleterious mutations: Evolutionary model of Muller's ratchet explored (August 10, 2012) -- From protozoans to mammals, evolution has created more and more complex structures and better-adapted organisms. This is all the more astonishing as most genetic mutations are deleterious. Especially in small asexual populations that do not recombine their genes, unfavourable mutations can accumulate. This process is known as Muller's ratchet in evolutionary biology. The ratchet, proposed by the American geneticist Hermann Joseph Muller, predicts that the genome deteriorates irreversibly, leaving populations on a one-way street to extinction. ... > full story

Evidence further suggests extra-terrestrial origin of quasicrystals (August 9, 2012) -- Results from an expedition to far eastern Russia that set out to find the origin of naturally occurring quasicrystals have provided convincing evidence that they arrived on Earth from outer space. Scientists reveal that new, naturally occurring quasicrystal samples have been found in an environment that does not have the extreme terrestrial conditions needed to produce them, therefore strengthening the case that they were brought to Earth by a meteorite. ... > full story

Copper facilitates prion disease, scientists show (August 9, 2012) -- Many of us are familiar with prion disease from its most startling and unusual incarnations —- the outbreaks of “mad cow” disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) that created a crisis in the global beef industry. Or the strange story of Kuru, a fatal illness affecting a tribe in Papua New Guinea known for its cannibalism. Both are forms of prion disease, caused by the abnormal folding of a protein and resulting in progressive neurodegeneration and death. ... > full story

Gecko feet hold clues to creating bandages that stick when wet (August 9, 2012) -- A better understanding of geckos' gripping power in wet conditions may lead to improvements in bandages and sutures. ... > full story

Scientist discovers plate tectonics on Mars (August 9, 2012) -- For years, many scientists had thought that plate tectonics existed nowhere in our solar system but on Earth. Now, a researcher has discovered that the geological phenomenon, which involves the movement of huge crustal plates beneath a planet's surface, also exists on Mars. ... > full story

New way to track formaldehyde (August 9, 2012) -- NASA researchers are helping to fill a big gap in scientists' understanding of how much urban pollution -- and more precisely formaldehyde -- ultimately winds up in Earth's upper atmosphere where it can wreak havoc on Earth's protective ozone layer. ... > full story

Searching salt for answers about life on Earth, Mars (August 9, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered that not only is there evidence of liquid water on Mars, but the planet is also rich with magnesium sulfate. One of the questions researchers are seeking to answer is whether microbial life on Earth can grow at high concentrations of magnesium sulfate. ... > full story

Researchers combine remote sensing technologies for highly detailed look at coastal change (August 9, 2012) -- Shifting sands and tides make it difficult to measure accurately the amount of beach that's available for recreation, development and conservation, but researchers have now combined several remote sensing technologies with historical data to create coastal maps with an unsurpassed level of accuracy. ... > full story

You snooze, you lose: Less sleep leads to more offspring in male pectoral sandpipers (August 9, 2012) -- During the breeding season, polygynous male pectoral sandpipers that sleep the least sire the most young. Biologists have now discovered this extraordinary relationship. During three weeks of intense competition under the constant daylight of the Arctic summer, males actively court females and compete with other males. The most sleepless males were found to be the most successful in producing young. ... > full story

1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep (August 9, 2012) -- Scientists have announced a major breakthrough in understanding the Earth's climate machine by reconstructing highly accurate records of changes in ice volume and deep-ocean temperatures over the last 1.5 million years. ... > full story

Global water sustainability flows through natural and human challenges (August 9, 2012) -- Water's fate in China mirrors problems across the world: fouled, pushed far from its natural origins, squandered and exploited. Scientists look back at lessons learned in China and management strategies that hold solutions for China -- and across the world. ... > full story

Cheaper and cleaner catalyst for burning methane (August 9, 2012) -- Researchers have created a material that catalyzes the burning of methane 30 times better than do currently available catalysts. ... > full story

Human antibodies that protect against large variety of flu viruses described (August 9, 2012) -- Scientists have described three human antibodies that provide broad protection against Influenza B virus strains. The same team had previously reported finding broadly neutralizing antibodies against Influenza A strains. ... > full story

Hormone in fruit flies sheds light on diabetes cure, weight-loss drug for humans (August 9, 2012) -- Neurobiologists have examined how fruit flies (Drosophila) react when given a decreased diet. Since fruit flies and humans share 30% of the same genes and their brains are wired similarly, the findings could be key to developing new treatments for diabetes and aiding in all sorts of metabolic research, including weight-loss drugs. ... > full story

Neolithic man: The first lumberjack? (August 9, 2012) -- Scientists have unearthed evidence that sophisticated carpentry tools first appeared at the same time as increased agriculture and the establishment of permanent settlements during the Neolithic Age. ... > full story

Pine trees one of biggest contributors to air pollution: Pine gases chemically transformed by free radicals (August 9, 2012) -- Pine trees are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. They give off gases that react with airborne chemicals creating tiny, invisible particles that muddy the air. Scientists have shown that particles formed by pine trees are much more dynamic than previously thought. The findings can help make climate and air quality prediction models more accurate, and inform regulatory agencies as they consider strategies for improving air quality. ... > full story

Solar power day and night: New storage systems control fluctuation of renewable energies (August 9, 2012) -- Energy storage systems are one of the key technologies for the energy turnaround. With their help, the fluctuating supply of electricity based on photovoltaics and wind power can be stored until the time of consumption. A number of pilot plants of solar cells, small wind power plants, lithium-ion batteries, and power electronics are now under construction to demonstrate how load peaks in the grid can be balanced and what regenerative power supply by an isolated network may look like in the future. ... > full story

Earliest use of Mexican turkeys by ancient Maya (August 9, 2012) -- A new study shows the turkey, one of the most widely consumed birds worldwide, was domesticated more than 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. ... > full story

The difference between a mole and shrew is in their SOX (August 9, 2012) -- The family of small insectivores, Talpidae, includes the moles, shrew moles, and aquatic desmans. New research has found that the enlargement of moles' digging front paws, compared to their feet, is controlled by altered timing of expression of the gene SOX9. ... > full story

New perspectives on the function of the Golgi apparatus (August 9, 2012) -- New perspectives have been reached on the function of the Golgi apparatus. Scientists explain a basic difference between plant and animal cells. ... > full story

And then there was light! Discovery of the world's first eyeless huntsman spider (August 9, 2012) -- A scientist has discovered the first eyeless huntsman spider in the world. With a leg span of only six centimetres and a body size of around twelve millimetres, the spider Sinopoda scurion is certainly not one of the largest representatives of the huntsman spiders, which include more than 1100 species. However, it is the first of its kind in the world without any eyes. ... > full story

Drivers of marine biodiversity: Tiny, freeloading clams find the key to evolutionary success (August 9, 2012) -- What mechanisms control the generation and maintenance of biological diversity on the planet? It’s a central question in evolutionary biology. For land-dwelling organisms such as insects and the flowers they pollinate, it’s clear that interactions between species are one of the main drivers of the evolutionary change that leads to biological diversity. ... > full story

Snail believed extinct found by student in Cahaba River (August 9, 2012) -- A freshwater snail declared extinct in 2000 was recently rediscovered in the Cahaba River by a graduate student. ... > full story

Oh, my stars and hexagons! DNA code shapes gold nanoparticles (August 8, 2012) -- DNA holds the genetic code for all sorts of biological molecules and traits. But researchers have found that DNA's code can similarly shape metallic structures. The team found that DNA segments can direct the shape of gold nanoparticles -- tiny gold crystals that have many applications in medicine, electronics and catalysis. Each of the four DNA bases codes for a different gold particle shape: rough round particles, stars, flat round discs, and hexagons. ... > full story

Hyenas that think outside the box solve problems faster (August 8, 2012) -- Innovative problem solving requires trying many different solutions. That's true for humans, and now Michigan State University researchers show that it's true for hyenas, too. ... > full story

Test vaccine successfully protects monkeys from Nipah virus (August 8, 2012) -- Researchers have successfully tested in monkeys a vaccine against Nipah virus, a human pathogen that emerged in 1998 during a large outbreak of infection and disease among pigs and pig farmers in Southeast Asia. This latest advance builds upon earlier work by the scientists, who found that the same vaccine can protect cats from Nipah virus and ferrets and horses from the closely related Hendra virus. ... > full story

Chronic exposure to staph bacteria may be risk factor for lupus (August 8, 2012) -- Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria could be a risk factor for the chronic inflammatory disease lupus, new research shows. ... > full story

Shark teeth help scientists uncover predator's history (August 8, 2012) -- Biologists are studying living great whites and other sharks – as well as fossilized shark teeth – to gain insight into shark behavior and ancestry using the latest in computed tomography scans to analyze shark tooth anatomy, development and evolution. ... > full story

Researchers collect and reuse enzymes while maintaining bioactivity (August 8, 2012) -- Researchers are collecting and harvesting enzymes while maintaining the enzyme's bioactivity. The new model system may impact cancer research. ... > full story

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