ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Sunday, December 4, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Sunday, December 4, 2011

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Like humans, the paper wasp has a special talent for learning faces (December 3, 2011) -- Though paper wasps have brains less than a millionth the size of humans', they have evolved specialized face-learning abilities analogous to the system used by humans, according to researchers. ... > full story

Vegetables, fruits, grains reduce stroke risk in women (December 2, 2011) -- Swedish women who ate an antioxidant-rich diet had fewer strokes especially if they had no history of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. The findings persisted even after statistics were adjusted for other risk factors such as smoking and physical activity. Women with the highest level of antioxidants in their diet consumed about half their antioxidants from fruits and vegetables. ... > full story

Sharp decline in pollution from U.S. coal power plants, NASA satellite confirms (December 2, 2011) -- A team of scientists have used the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA's Aura satellite to confirm major reductions in the levels of a key air pollutant generated by coal power plants in the eastern United States. The pollutant, sulfur dioxide, contributes to the formation of acid rain and can cause serious health problems. ... > full story

They call it 'guppy love': Biologists solve an evolution mystery (December 2, 2011) -- Guppies in the wild have evolved over at least half-a-million years -- long enough for the males' coloration to change dramatically. Yet an orange patch on the male has remained remarkably stable. Why has it remained the same hue of orange over such a long period of time? Because that is the color female guppies prefer. ... > full story

Fecal microbiota transplants effective treatment for C. difficile, inflammatory bowel disease, research finds (December 2, 2011) -- Growing evidence for the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplants as a treatment for patients with recurrent bouts of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea is presented in three studies -- including a long-term follow-up of colonoscopic fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent C. difficile Infection that included 77 patients from five different states. ... > full story

More promising natural gas storage? (December 2, 2011) -- A research team has developed a computational method that can save scientists and engineers valuable time in the discovery process. The new algorithm automatically generates and tests hypothetical metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), zeroing in on the most promising structures. These MOFs then can be synthesized and tested in the lab. The researchers quickly identified more than 300 different MOFs that are predicted to be better than any known material for methane storage. ... > full story

Drop in carbon dioxide levels led to polar ice sheet, study finds (December 2, 2011) -- A drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the driving force that led to the Antarctic ice sheet's formation, according to a recent study of molecules from ancient algae found in deep-sea core samples. ... > full story

World's first view of Type 1 diabetes as it unfolds (December 2, 2011) -- A war is being waged in the pancreases of millions of people throughout the world. The siege leads to the development of Type 1 diabetes and has been a battlefield largely hidden from view -- until now. Researchers have created the first cellular movies showing the destruction underlying Type 1 diabetes in real-time in mouse models. ... > full story

Bitter sensitive children eat more vegetables with help of dip (December 2, 2011) -- Close to 70 percent of children have a sensitivity to bitter tasting foods, and that can cause them to avoid many of the leafy, green vegetables they should be eating for healthy development. But new research has found that adding a small amount of dip can help children with this sensitivity eat more of their vegetables. ... > full story

Probiotics reduce infections for patients in intensive care, study finds (December 2, 2011) -- Traumatic brain injury is associated with a profound suppression of the patient's ability to fight infection. At the same time the patient also often suffers hyper-inflammation, due to the brain releasing glucocorticoids. New research shows that including probiotics with nutrients, supplied via the patient's feeding tube, increased interferon levels, reduced the number of infections, and even reduced the amount of time patients spent in intensive care. ... > full story

Age-old remedies using white tea, witch hazel and rose may be beneficial, study suggests (December 2, 2011) -- Age-old remedies could hold the key to treating a wide range of serious medical problems, as well as keeping skin firmer and less wrinkled, according to scientists. Experts have discovered that white tea, witch hazel and the simple rose hold potential health and beauty properties which could be simply too good to ignore. ... > full story

A vaccination against social prejudice (December 2, 2011) -- Evolutionary psychologists suspect that prejudice is rooted in survival: Our distant ancestors had to avoid outsiders who might have carried disease. Research still shows that when people feel vulnerable to illness, they exhibit more bias toward stigmatized groups. But a new study suggests there might be a modern way to break that link. ... > full story

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