The EDGE: ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, June 27, 2012

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, June 27, 2012

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New role for RNAi discovered: Epigenetic memory may pass RNA silencing from one generation to the next (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a mechanism related to RNAi that scans for intruders not by recognizing dsRNA or some other aberrant feature of the foreign sequence, but rather by comparing the foreign sequences to a memory of previously expressed native RNA. Once identified, an "epigenetic memory" of the foreign DNA fragments is created and can be passed on from one generation to the next, permanently silencing the gene. ... > full story

NASA satellites see wildfires across Colorado (June 26, 2012) -- NASA's Aqua satellite captured a natural-color image of Colorado wildfires raging on June 23, 2012. ... > full story

Scientists find new primitive mineral in meteorite (June 26, 2012) -- In 1969, an exploding fireball tore through the sky over Mexico, scattering thousands of pieces of meteorite across the state of Chihuahua. More than 40 years later, the Allende meteorite is still serving the scientific community as a rich source of information about the early stages of our solar system's evolution. Recently, scientists discovered a new mineral embedded in the space rock -- one they believe to be among the oldest minerals formed in the solar system. ... > full story

Reminders of mortality increase concern for environmental legacy (June 26, 2012) -- When we turn on the A/C in the summer, our first thought is probably one of relief. If it's 100 degrees in the shade, we're probably not thinking about how our decision might influence the environmental legacy we leave for future generations. But new research suggests that reminders of our own mortality may encourage us to keep future generations in mind as we make decisions. ... > full story

Moderate coffee consumption offers protection against heart failure, study suggests (June 26, 2012) -- While current American Heart Association heart failure prevention guidelines warn against habitual coffee consumption, some studies propose a protective benefit, and still others find no association at all. Amidst this conflicting information, new research attempts to shift the conversation from a definitive yes or no, to a question of how much. ... > full story

Asthma linked to congested highways: Those living near heavily traveled interstate have higher rates of disease (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, found that living near a heavily congested highway correlates with a higher presence of asthma. ... > full story

Thunderstorms have longer reach than thought: Storm researcher calls for new air safety guidelines (June 26, 2012) -- Aircraft turbulence guidelines should be rewritten after new research revealed thunderstorms could produce unexpected turbulence more than 100 km away from storm cells. ... > full story

Seeing inside tissue for no-cut surgeries: Researchers develop technique to focus light inside biological tissue (June 26, 2012) -- Imagine if doctors could perform surgery without ever having to cut through your skin. Or if they could diagnose cancer by seeing tumors inside the body with a procedure that is as simple as an ultrasound. Thanks to a new technique, all of that may be possible in the not-so-distant future. ... > full story

Curry spice, omega-3 fatty acid preserve walking ability following spinal-cord injury (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers discovered that a diet enriched with a popular omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice preserved walking ability in rats with spinal-cord injury. The findings suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the neck. ... > full story

Exposure to environmental chemicals in the womb reprograms the rodent brain to disrupt reproduction (June 26, 2012) -- Prenatal exposure to the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, causes long-term changes to the developing brain that have adverse effects on reproductive function later in life, a new study finds. ... > full story

Phthalate, environmental chemical is linked to higher rates of childhood obesity (June 26, 2012) -- Obese children show greater exposure than nonobese children to a phthalate, a chemical used to soften plastics in some children’s toys and many household products, according to a new study, which found that the obesity risk increases according to the level of the chemical found in the bloodstream. ... > full story

BPA exposure in pregnant mice changes gene expression of female offspring (June 26, 2012) -- Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many common plastic household items, can cause numerous genes in the uterus to respond differently to estrogen in adulthood, according to a study using a mouse model. ... > full story

NOAA: Data from new satellite implemented in record time; Meteorologists are now using information for weather forecasts (June 26, 2012) -- Data flowing from a new generation of instruments onboard the Suomi NPP satellite, a joint NASA/NOAA mission, are being used in NOAA's global numerical weather forecast system a record seven months after launch, nearly three times faster than previous missions. After a rigorous and accelerated evaluation period, meteorologists began using the new data in operational weather models on May 22, 2012. These models are the foundation for all public and private weather forecasts in the United States. ... > full story

Transgenic technique 'eliminates' a specific neural circuit in brain of primates (June 26, 2012) -- Biologists have developed a gene transfer technique that can "eliminate" a specific neural circuit in non-human primates for the first time. ... > full story

Biologists reveal potential 'fatal flaw' in iconic sexual selection study (June 26, 2012) -- A classic study from more than 60 years ago that reportedly showed that males are more promiscuous and females more choosy in selecting mates may be wrong, say life scientists who are the first to repeat the historic experiment using the same methods. ... > full story

Romancing the firefly (June 26, 2012) -- While a female firefly's initial assessment of potential mates is based on males' luminescent flashes, once a pair makes physical contact, sexy flashes no longer matter. Instead, it's males that have larger nuptial gifts (a protein-packed sperm package that helps females produce more eggs) that mate more often and father more offspring. ... > full story

Pollutants may contribute to illness and becoming overweight (June 26, 2012) -- Lack of physical activity and poor diet alone cannot explain the dramatic rise in obesity and diabetes occurring in many countries, believe some researchers. It is time to face the possibility that hazardous chemicals may also share part of the blame. ... > full story

Mechanism prevents alterations in neuronal production during embryonic development (June 26, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a mechanism that prevents alterations in neurogenesis, the process of neuronal formation, during the development of the nervous system in vertebrates. The study relates these distortions to the natural presence of a molecule that inhibits the neuronal formation at the regions adjacent to the tissue suitable for neurogenesis. ... > full story

Simpler lifestyle found to reduce exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (June 26, 2012) -- A lifestyle that features fresh foods and limited use of products likely to contain environmental chemicals has been shown to reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as BPA and phthalates, in a small population study. EDCs are linked to a number of adverse health complications including neuro-developmental delays, behavioral issues and fertility problems. They are produced by the millions of pounds per year and found extensively in a range of products that contain certain plastics. ... > full story

New toilet turns human waste into electricity and fertilizer (June 26, 2012) -- Scientists have invented a new toilet system that will turn human waste into electricity and fertilizers and also reduce the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 per cent compared to current toilet systems in Singapore. ... > full story

Prenatal exposure to common household chemical, phthalate, increases risk for childhood eczema (June 26, 2012) -- Prenatal exposure to a ubiquitous household chemical called butylbenzyl phthalate can increase a child's risk for developing eczema, according to new research. ... > full story

Nanodiamonds cut through dirt to bring back 'bling' to low temperature laundry (June 26, 2012) -- Nanodiamonds, pieces of carbon less than ten-thousandths the diameter of a human hair, have been found to help loosen crystallized fat from surfaces in a project that transforms the ability of washing powders to shift dirt in eco-friendly low-temperature laundry cycles. ... > full story

The academic jungle: Ecosystem model reveals why women are driven out of science (June 26, 2012) -- Understanding how a species battles to sustain itself in a challenging habitat is a cornerstone of ecological research; now scientists have applied this approach to science itself to discover why women are being driven out of academia. Their results reveals how a gender imbalance in science and academia is maintained by institutional barriers. ... > full story

Atlantic heat constrains Arctic sea ice extent (June 26, 2012) -- The Arctic sea ice cover is a sensitive indicator of climate variability and change. Researchers have for the first time quantified how Atlantic heat influences the sea ice extent in the Barents Sea, where the retreat in Arctic winter sea ice is the most pronounced. ... > full story

Researchers develop new method for analyzing cell function (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have developed an open-source software that will make it significantly easier to process bioimaging data. The software, named BioImageXD, will help in analyzing cell and tissue functions. ... > full story

Human insulin suppresses mosquito immune system: increasing cases of type II diabetes could abet malaria’s spread (June 26, 2012) -- Human insulin suppresses the mosquito immune system, according to a new article. And while mosquitoes and malaria might seem to go together like baseball and hotdogs, mosquitoes' immunological resistance to the malaria parasite actually slows its spread among people. ... > full story

NASA sees Tropical Storm Debby's clouds blanket Florida (June 25, 2012) -- Like a white blanket, Tropical Storm Debby's clouds covered the entire state of Florida in a NASA satellite image. Two satellites have captured imagery that shows Tropical Storm Debby has thrown a large white blanket of clouds over the state of Florida, and it doesn't seem like that blanket is going to lift quickly as Debby moves slowly north. ... > full story

Math formula leads researchers to source of pollution (June 25, 2012) -- The leaking of environmentally damaging pollutants into our waters and atmosphere could soon be counteracted by a simple mathematical algorithm, according to researchers. ... > full story

Geoflow: Space station experiments shed light on conditions deep inside Earth (June 25, 2012) -- ESA astronaut André Kuipers is running experiments on the International Space Station that are shedding light on conditions deep inside Earth. Orbiting some 400 km above us, Geoflow is offering insights into the inner workings of our planet. ... > full story

Eating garbage: Bacteria for bioremediation (June 25, 2012) -- A 150-foot-high garbage dump in Colombia, South America, may have new life as a public park. Researchers have demonstrated that bacteria found in the dump can be used to neutralize the contaminants in the soil. ... > full story

Ozone exposure linked to potential heart attacks (June 25, 2012) -- Young, healthy adult volunteers exposed for two hours to ozone developed physiological changes associated with cardiovascular ailments, according to a small study. ... > full story

Greenland ice may exaggerate magnitude of 13,000-year-old deep freeze (June 25, 2012) -- Ice samples pulled from nearly a mile below the surface of Greenland glaciers have long served as a historical thermometer, adding temperature data to studies of the local conditions up to the Northern Hemisphere’s climate. But the method — comparing the ratio of oxygen isotopes buried as snow fell over millennia — may not be such a straightforward indicator of air temperature. ... > full story

Mercury mineral evolution tied to Supercontinent assembly over last 3 billion years (June 25, 2012) -- Mineral evolution posits that Earth's near-surface mineral diversity gradually increased through an array of chemical and biological processes. A dozen different species in interstellar dust particles that formed the solar system have evolved to more than 4500 species today. New work demonstrates that the creation of most minerals containing mercury is fundamentally linked to several episodes of supercontinent assembly over the last 3 billion years. ... > full story

Cambodia remains last vulture bastion in Southeast Asia (June 25, 2012) -- In face of what has become a precipitous slide toward extinction across the Asian continent, the vultures of Cambodia have persisted, giving conservationists hope that these important scavengers can come back from the brink, according to authors a new study. ... > full story

Scientists struggle with mathematical details, study by biologists finds (June 25, 2012) -- Many people remember struggling with maths at school, but few of us would expect that professional scientists suffer from a similar problem in their daily work. A new study shows that scientists tend to overlook their colleagues' research if it is packed full of mathematical equations. ... > full story

Biological switch paves way for improved biofuel production (June 25, 2012) -- A mechanism that controls the way organisms breathe or photosynthesize has been discovered by scientists. The research could pave the way for improved biofuel production. ... > full story

Lead poisoning blocks recovery of California condor population (June 25, 2012) -- A comprehensive study shows that California condors are continually exposed to harmful levels of lead, the principal source of that lead is ammunition, and lead poisoning from ammunition is preventing the recovery of the condor population. ... > full story

Mystery of the flatfish head solved (June 25, 2012) -- A new discovery describes a fossil fish, named Heteronectes (meaning "different swimmer") that was found in 50 million year old marine rocks from northern Italy. This study provides the first detailed description of a primitive flatfish, revealing that the migrated eye had not yet crossed to the opposite side of the skull in early members of this group. ... > full story

BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill exacerbated existing environmental problems in Louisiana marshes (June 25, 2012) -- The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill temporarily worsened existing manmade problems in Louisiana’s salt marshes such as erosion, but there may be cause for optimism, according to a new study. ... > full story

Rate of severe reactions higher than thought in young children with food allergies (June 25, 2012) -- Young children with allergies to milk and egg experience reactions to these and other foods more often than researchers had expected, a study reports. The study also found that severe and potentially life-threatening reactions in a significant number of these children occur and that some caregivers are hesitant to give such children epinephrine, a medication that reverses the symptoms of such reactions and can save lives. ... > full story

Study slashes deforestation carbon emission estimate (June 25, 2012) -- A new study with NASA participation has sharply reduced previous estimates of how much carbon was emitted into Earth's atmosphere from tropical deforestation in the early 2000s. ... > full story

Neutrons explain how haemoglobin evolution in red blood cells helped the duck-billed platypus respire (June 25, 2012) -- Scientists have explained the evolutionary history of haemoglobin using what might seem an unlikely array of samples. Researchers focused the world’s most intense neutrons beams on the oxygen-carrying protein from a human, a duck-billed platypus, a chicken and a salt-water crocodile to explain how it has adapted to different body temperatures within different species. ... > full story

Fungicide used on farm crops linked to insulin resistance (June 25, 2012) -- A fungicide used on farm crops can induce insulin resistance, a new tissue-culture study finds, providing another piece of evidence linking environmental pollutants to diabetes. ... > full story

Arsenic for better drugs and cleaner crops (June 25, 2012) -- New research may lead to more effective arsenic-containing drugs. The results may also lead to more resistant plants, and crops with a limited absorption and storage of arsenic. ... > full story

Creative individuals travelled to the south Swedish inland 9,000 years ago (June 25, 2012) -- Despite its good ecologic status, there were no permanent settlements in the south Swedish inland 9,000 years ago. Yet the area was visited by people who wanted to express their individuality and creativity and thereby gain status, new research suggests. ... > full story

Gut microbes battle a common set of viruses shared by global populations (June 25, 2012) -- The human gut is home to a teeming ecosystem of microbes that is intimately involved in both human health and disease. But while the gut microbiota is interacting with our body, they are also under constant attack from viruses. Researchers have analyzed a bacterial immune system, revealing a common set of viruses associated with gut microbiota in global populations. ... > full story

Remapping gang turf: Math model used for mapping chimp territories applies (June 25, 2012) -- A mathematical model that has been used for more than 80 years to determine the hunting range of wild animals holds promise for mapping the territories of street gangs, social scientists report. The way gangs break up their neighborhoods into unique territories is a lot like the way lions, chimpanzees or honey bees break up space, according to researchers. ... > full story

Better looking birds have more help at home with their chicks (June 25, 2012) -- In choosing a mate both males and females rely on visual cues to determine which potential partner will supply the best genes, best nesting site, best territory, and best parenting skills. New research shows that male blue tits’ (Cyanistes caeruleus) parental behavior is determined by female ornamentation (ultraviolet coloration of the crown), as predicted by the differential allocation hypothesis (DAH). ... > full story