The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Monday, October 17, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Monday, October 17, 2011

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

Mobile electrons multiplied in quantum dot films (October 17, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated that several mobile electrons can be produced by the absorption of a single light particle in films of coupled quantum dots. These multiple electrons can be harvested in solar cells with increased efficiency. ... > full story

Oranges and mandarins are inspected using artificial vision (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists have created a machine that detects and separates rotten oranges, another that classifies mandarin segments according to their quality and another that helps citrus fruit pickers out in the field. All prototypes use computer vision to automatically inspect the fruits. ... > full story

New technique unlocks secrets of ancient ocean (October 17, 2011) -- Earth's largest mass extinction event occurred some 252 million years ago. An estimated 90 percent of Earth's marine life was eradicated. To better understand the cause of this "mother of all mass extinctions," researchers used a new geochemical technique. The team measured uranium isotopes in ancient carbonate rocks and found that a large, rapid shift in the chemistry of the world's ancient oceans occurred around the extinction event. ... > full story

How to punish corporate wrongdoers to deter bad behavior (October 17, 2011) -- If courts were able to award appropriate punitive damages that punish wrongdoers at a level tied to a company's financial worth, then businesses big and small would be at risk of being put out of business by punitive damages unconscionable offenses and would be deterred from bad behavior in the first place, according to one expert. ... > full story

Uncharted territory: Scientists sequence the first carbohydrate biopolymer (October 15, 2011) -- For the first time ever, a team of researchers has announced the sequence of a complete complex carbohydrate biopolymer. The surprising discovery provides the scientific and medical communities with an important and fundamental new view of these vital biomolecules, which play a role in everything from cell structure and development to disease pathology and blood clotting. ... > full story

How touch and movement contribute to the development of the brain (October 15, 2011) -- Neuroscientists have uncovered in an animal model the neuronal processes that underlay the development of sensory maps in the developing brain. ... > full story

How the zebra gets its stripes: A simple genetic circuit (October 14, 2011) -- Developmental processes that create stripes and other patterns are complex and difficult to untangle. To sort it out, a team of scientists has designed a simple genetic circuit that creates a striped pattern that they can control by tweaking a single gene. This genetic loop is made two linked modules that sense how crowded a group of cells has become and responds by controlling their movements. ... > full story

Polar bears ill from accumulated environmental toxins (October 14, 2011) -- Industrial chemicals are being transported from the industrialized world to the Arctic via air and sea currents. Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea's food chains, of which the polar bear is the top predator. ... > full story

New study finds 400,000 farmers in southern Africa using 'fertilizer trees' to improve food security (October 14, 2011) -- On a continent battered by weather extremes, famine and record food prices, new research documents an exciting new trend in which hundreds of thousands of poor farmers in Southern Africa are now significantly boosting yields and incomes simply by using fast growing trees and shrubs to naturally fertilize their fields. ... > full story

'Robot biologist' solves complex problem from scratch (October 14, 2011) -- Scientists have taken a major step toward developing robot biologists. They have shown that their system, the Automated Biology Explorer, can solve a complicated biology problem from scratch. ... > full story

Carbon nanotube muscles generate giant twist for novel motors (October 14, 2011) -- Artificial muscles, based on carbon nanotubes yarn, that twist like the trunk of an elephant, but provide a thousand times higher rotation per length, have been developed by a team of researchers. ... > full story

Preventing dangerous nonsense in human gene expression (October 14, 2011) -- Human genes are preferentially encoded by codons that are less likely to be mistranscribed (or "misread") into a STOP codon, according to a new study. ... > full story

Why many cells are better than one: Limited decision-making ability of individual cells is bolstered in masses (October 14, 2011) -- Researchers have quantified the number of possible decisions that an individual cell can make after receiving a cue from its environment, and surprisingly, it's only two. ... > full story

Tiny fossil fragment reveals giant-but-ugly truth: Part of biggest-ever toothed pterosaur from dinosaur era (October 14, 2011) -- New research has identified a small fossil fragment at the Natural History Museum, London as being part of a giant pterosaur -- setting a new upper limit for the size of winged and toothed animals. ... > full story

Gut bacteria may affect whether a statin drug lowers cholesterol (October 14, 2011) -- Statins can be effective at lowering cholesterol, but they have a perplexing tendency to work for some people and not others. Gut bacteria may be the reason. ... > full story

New technologies challenge old ideas about early hominid diets (October 14, 2011) -- New assessments by researchers using the latest high-tech tools to study the diets of early hominids are challenging long-held assumptions about what our ancestors ate. ... > full story

Climatic tipping points for tropical forest and savanna: Satellite data reveal where they are most vulnerable (October 14, 2011) -- Tropical tree cover will jump sharply between a forested state and savanna or treeless conditions rather than respond smoothly to climate change, according to a new study. ... > full story

From blue whales to earthworms, a common mechanism gives shape to living beings (October 14, 2011) -- Mice don't have tails on their backs, and their ribs don't grow from lumbar vertebrae. And for good reason. Scientists have discovered the mechanism that determines the shape that many animals take -- including humans, blue whales, and insects. ... > full story

Hospital superbug debugged (October 14, 2011) -- Scientists have uncovered how a common hospital bacterium becomes a deadly superbug that kills increasing numbers of hospital patients worldwide and accounts for an estimated .2 billion each year in health-care costs in the US alone. ... > full story

Warning signs can prevent deer-vehicle collisions, Canadian study shows (October 14, 2011) -- Collisions between wild deer and vehicles not only hinder conservation efforts but pose a serious danger to drivers. In new research, Canadian scientists examined locations and time periods of high rates of deer vehicle collision to assess the effectiveness of warning signs to prevent fatalities. ... > full story

New breeds of broccoli remain packed with health benefits (October 13, 2011) -- Scientists have demonstrated that mineral levels in new varieties of broccoli have not declined since 1975, and that the broccoli contains the same levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and other minerals that have made the vegetable a healthy staple of American diets for decades. ... > full story

Does converting cow manure to electricity pay off? Successful renewable energy project in Vermont (October 13, 2011) -- Researchers in Vermont confirm that it is technically feasible to convert cow manure to electricity on farms, but the economic returns depend highly on the base electricity price; the premium paid for converted energy; financial supports from government and other agencies; and the ability to sell byproducts of the methane generation. ... > full story

Oldest fossil rodents in South America discovered; Find is 10 million years older and confirms animals from Africa (October 13, 2011) -- An international team of researchers have found the oldest rodent fossils in South America. The find confirms the animals origin in Africa and contradicts the conclusion that they spread from south to north, which was deduced from the fossil record just 20 years ago. ... > full story

Cheaper yet efficient thin film solar cells created (October 13, 2011) -- Researchers in Singapore have exploited advanced nanostructure technology to make a highly efficient and yet cheaper silicon solar cell. ... > full story

Inefficient developing world stoves contribute to 2 million deaths a year (October 13, 2011) -- An international effort to replace smoky, inefficient household stoves that people commonly use in lower and middle income countries with clean, affordable, fuel efficient stoves could save nearly 2 million lives each year, according to experts. ... > full story

Bacterial communication could affect Earth's climate, researchers discover (October 13, 2011) -- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists have discovered that bacterial communication could have a significant impact on the planet's climate. ... > full story

Certain mouth bacteria signal pancreatic cancer, study finds (October 13, 2011) -- Particular types of mouth bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, are associated with the development of pancreatic cancer, indicates a small study. ... > full story

Borrowing from brightly-colored birds: Physicists develop lasers inspired by nature (October 13, 2011) -- Researchers are studying how two types of nanoscale structures on the feathers of birds produce brilliant and distinctive colors. The researchers are hoping that by borrowing these nanoscale tricks from nature they will be able to produce new types of lasers--ones that can assemble themselves by natural processes. ... > full story

T. rex was bigger and grew faster than previously thought, computational analysis reveals (October 13, 2011) -- A new study reveals that T. rex grew more quickly and reached significantly greater masses than previously estimated. In a departure from earlier methods, the new study uses mounted skeletons to generate body mass estimates. ... > full story

New Saudi Arabias of solar energy: Himalaya Mountains, Andes, Antarctica (October 13, 2011) -- Mention prime geography for generation of solar energy, and people tend to think of hot deserts. But a new study concludes that some of the world's coldest landscapes -- including the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes, and even Antarctica -- could become Saudi Arabias of solar. ... > full story

'Cute' chimps in ads may harm the species' survival (October 13, 2011) -- Television ads featuring cute chimpanzees wearing human clothes are likely to distort the public's perception of the endangered animals and hinder conservation efforts, according to researchers. ... > full story

Natural processes can limit spread of arsenic in water, says study (October 13, 2011) -- A new study shows that deep sediments can grab naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater and take it out of circulation -- a finding that may help to keep wells safe elsewhere, including in the United States. ... > full story

How life might have survived 'snowball Earth' (October 13, 2011) -- New research indicates that simple life in the form of photosynthetic algae could have survived a "snowball Earth" event, living in a narrow body of water with characteristics similar to today's Red Sea. ... > full story

Scientists demonstrate the power of optical forces in blood cell identification (October 13, 2011) -- Biological analysis systems that rely on labels can be costly, labor intensive, and depend upon prior knowledge of the target in question. Researchers have developed a system that can detect optical pressure differences between populations or classes of cells. ... > full story

'Dark matter' of the genome revealed through analysis of 29 mammals (October 12, 2011) -- An international team of researchers has discovered the vast majority of the so-called "dark matter" in the human genome, by means of a sweeping comparison of 29 mammalian genomes. The team has pinpointed the parts of the human genome that control when and where genes are turned on. This map is a critical step in interpreting the thousands of genetic changes that have been linked to human disease. ... > full story

Feeding the world while protecting the planet: Global plan for sustainable agriculture (October 12, 2011) -- An international team of researchers from Canada, the US, Sweden and Germany has come up with a plan to double the world's food production while reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. ... > full story

Nuclear receptors battle it out during metamorphosis in new fruit fly model (October 12, 2011) -- Growing up just got more complicated. Biochemistry researchers have shown for the first time that the receptor for a major insect molting hormone doesn't activate and repress genes as once thought. In fact, it only activates genes, and it is out-competed by a heme-binding receptor to repress the same genes during the larval to pupal transition in the fruit fly. ... > full story

Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' discovered (October 12, 2011) -- The "super-eruption" of a major volcanic system occurs about every 100,000 years and is considered one of the most catastrophic natural events on Earth, yet scientists have long been unsure about what triggers these violent explosions. A new model points to a combination of temperature influence and the geometrical configuration of the magma chamber as a potential cause for these super-eruptions. ... > full story

Scientists move closer to predicting who will and will not fight off severe infections (October 12, 2011) -- Why are some people prone to severe infections, while others handle them with less difficulty? A new research report attempts to answer this question by shedding light on the genetic differences that influence our ability to fight off bacterial infections. ... > full story

Biologists use Sinatra-named fly to show how to see the blues -- and the greens (October 12, 2011) -- Biologists have identified a new mechanism for regulating color vision by studying a mutant fly named after Frank ('Ol Blue Eyes) Sinatra. Their findings focus on how the visual system functions in order to preserve the fidelity of color discrimination throughout the life of an organism. They also offer new insights into how genes controlling color detection are turned on and off. ... > full story

Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death; Bacteria found to be ancestor of all modern plagues (October 12, 2011) -- An international team has sequenced the entire genome of the Black Death, one of the most devastating epidemics in human history. ... > full story

Significant breakthrough in study of chlamydia (October 12, 2011) -- A breakthrough in the study of chlamydia genetics could open the way to new treatments and the development of a vaccine for this sexually transmitted disease. For decades research progress has been hampered because scientists have been prevented from fully understanding these bacteria as they have been unable to manipulate the genome of Chlamydia trachomatis. ... > full story

Metal shortages alert from leading geologists: Inexorable demand for consumer goods places strain on supply of metals (October 12, 2011) -- Geologists are warning of shortages and bottlenecks of some metals due to an insatiable demand for consumer products. ... > full story

Peanut allergy turned off by tricking immune system: New approach makes allergen appear safe and prevents life-threatening reaction (October 12, 2011) -- Researchers have turned off a life-threatening allergic response to peanuts by tricking the immune system into thinking the nut proteins aren't a threat to the body, according to a new preclinical study. The peanut tolerance was achieved by attaching peanut proteins onto blood cells and reintroducing them to the body -- an approach that ultimately may be able to target more than one food allergy at a time. ... > full story

Crop improvement and human medicine: Using proteins to target and manipulate specific genes (October 12, 2011) -- Scientists are using certain proteins to target and manipulate specific genes. That could lead to breakthroughs in understanding gene function and improving traits in livestock and plants, and even treating human genetic disorders. ... > full story

Eating your greens can change the effect of your genes on heart disease (October 12, 2011) -- A long-held mantra suggests that you can't change your family, the genes they pass on, or the effect of these genes. Now, scientists are attacking that belief. The researchers discovered the gene that is the strongest marker for heart disease can actually be modified by generous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables. ... > full story

Worms among first animals to surface after K-T extinction event, study finds (October 12, 2011) -- A new study of sediments laid down shortly after an asteroid plowed into the Gulf of Mexico 65.5 million years ago, an event that is linked to widespread global extinctions including the demise of big dinosaurs, suggests that lowly worms may have been the first fauna to show themselves following the global catastrophe. ... > full story

New 'genome mining' technique streamlines discovery from nature (October 12, 2011) -- A newly developed method for microscopically extracting, or "mining," information from genomes could represent a significant boost in the search for new therapeutic drugs and improve science's understanding of basic functions such as how cells communicate with one another. ... > full story