ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Thursday, December 9, 2010
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Eutrophication makes toxic cyanobacteria more toxic (December 9, 2010) -- Continued eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, combined with an ever thinner ozone layer, is favouing the toxic cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, reveals new research. ... > full story
Study assesses nuclear power assumptions (December 9, 2010) -- A broad review of current research on nuclear power economics has been published. The report concludes that nuclear power will continue to be a viable power source but that the current fuel cycle is not sustainable. ... > full story
'Greener' climate prediction shows plants slow warming (December 9, 2010) -- A new NASA computer modeling effort has found that additional growth of plants and trees in a world with doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide levels would create a new negative feedback -- a cooling effect -- in the Earth's climate system that could work to reduce future global warming. ... > full story
How do DNA components resist damaging UV exposure? (December 9, 2010) -- The genetic material of DNA contains shielding mechanisms to protect itself from the exposure to the UV light emitted by the sun. This is of crucial importance, since without photostability – i.e. without "programmed" defense mechanisms against UV irradiation – there would be a rapid degradation of DNA and RNA. ... > full story
Fledgling ecosystem in former open-pit coal mine in Germany lets scientists observe how soil, flora and fauna develop (December 9, 2010) -- How do ecosystems develop? A unique project could provide answers. In a former open-pit coal mining area in Brandenburg, Germany, a surface of six hectares was partitioned off and then left to its own resources. Scientists are studying the development of soil, flora, and fauna there. With this research they aim to establish the factors that have a particularly strong influence on developing ecosystems. ... > full story
Cranberry juice not effective against urinary tract infections, study suggests (December 8, 2010) -- Drinking cranberry juice has been recommended to decrease the incidence of urinary tract infections, based on observational studies and a few small clinical trials. However, a new study suggests otherwise. ... > full story
Parents' influence on children's eating habits is limited (December 8, 2010) -- Parents are often believed to have a strong influence on children's eating behaviors. However, previous findings on parent-child resemblance in dietary intakes are mixed. ... > full story
Extending the life of oil reserves: Greener, cheaper more efficient oil extraction made possible (December 8, 2010) -- Scientists have come up with a new way to treat carbon dioxide, so that it can be used in efficient and environmentally friendly methods for extracting oil. These new CO2 soluble additives can also be used to reduce the environmental damage caused by every day industrial processes such as food processing and the manufacture of electronics. ... > full story
'Logic gates' made to program bacteria as computers (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have engineered E. coli with the key molecular circuitry that will enable genetic engineers to program cells to communicate and perform computations. ... > full story
Lost civilization under Persian Gulf? (December 8, 2010) -- A once fertile landmass now submerged beneath the Persian Gulf may have been home to some of the earliest human populations outside Africa, according to a new article. ... > full story
Soaring is better than flapping for birds big and small (December 8, 2010) -- Small migrating birds save energy as they fly. Large birds, such as storks, save energy on the flight to their wintering grounds by soaring through the air on thermal currents. Until now, however, we knew nothing about the flight patterns of small migrating songbirds, such as whether they flap their wings or soar and whether these styles of flight allow them to save energy. ... > full story
Blueberries and other purple fruits to ward off Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's (December 8, 2010) -- Eating purple fruits such as blueberries and drinking green tea can help ward off diseases including Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's, a report claims. ... > full story
Duelling dipoles: In search of a new theory of photosynthetic energy transfer (December 8, 2010) -- Chemists have refuted a basic postulate of Förster theory, which describes energy transfers between pigment molecules, such as those that underlie photosynthesis. A revised version of the theory could have an impact on the design of optical computers and improve the efficiency of solar cells. ... > full story
How flowering time of plants can be controlled (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a previously unknown gene in sugar beets that blocks flowering. Only with the cold of winter is the gene shut off, allowing the sugar beet to blossom in its second year. The discovery of this new gene function makes it possible to control when sugar beets bloom. ... > full story
Vitamin supplements reduce deaths caused by measles and diarrhea, study finds (December 8, 2010) -- Vitamin A supplements are still an effective way to reduce childhood death and disease. A new study strongly endorses the continuation of vitamin A supplementation programs, which reduce the incidence of measles and diarrhea and ultimately save lives. ... > full story
Nanoparticle gives antimicrobial ability to fight Listeria longer (December 8, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a nanoparticle that can hold and release an antimicrobial agent as needed for extending the shelf life of foods susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes. ... > full story
Social relationships in animals have a genetic basis, new research reveals (December 8, 2010) -- The ability to tolerate aggression is partly genetic, life scientists report in the first study to demonstrate a genetic component to a social network trait in a non-human population. ... > full story
Creating 'Living' Buildings (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers are poised to use ethical synthetic biology to create 'living' materials that could be used to clad buildings and help combat the effects of climate change. ... > full story
Using chaos to model geophysical phenomena (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have developed the first direct approach for identifying packets of air or water, called "coherent sets," that are transported in the atmosphere and ocean and have far-reaching effects on weather and climate. The new methodology has tested significantly better than existing technologies. ... > full story
Ginseng just got better -- not as bitter (December 8, 2010) -- Scientists have learned to mask the bitterness of ginseng, a common ingredient of energy drinks. While experimenting with five possible solutions to ginseng's bitterness problem, they discovered that cyclodextrins -- hydrophobic compounds made of glucose molecules that occur in a ring form -- were able to capture the bitter flavor compounds and reduce bitterness by more than half. ... > full story
Soil needs decades to recover from a spill (December 8, 2010) -- Twelve years after the spillage at Aznalcóllar (Spain), scientists say that the soil affected has recovered "reasonably well". Their study of nematodes (microscopic soil worms that are indicators of the biological state of soil) confirmed the "enormous" impact of heavy metals and is useful for predicting the effect of the red mud spillage in Hungary. ... > full story
Climate scientist warns world of widespread suffering if further climate change is not forestalled (December 8, 2010) -- One of the world's foremost experts on climate change is warning that if humans don't moderate their use of fossil fuels, there is a real possibility that we will face the environmental, societal and economic consequences of climate change faster than we can adapt to them. Lonnie Thompson at Ohio State University posed that possibility in a just-released special climate-change edition of the journal The Behavior Analyst. ... > full story
MOTIVE case studies look for the best adaptive management options (December 8, 2010) -- What do North Karelian forests in Finland have in common with the Montafon Valley in Austria? Both areas are increasingly affected by increasingly strong winds causing serious damage. Wind, drought and fire are main threats of climate change to forests on various locations in Europe. In order to help the forest owners in the regions to find the best adaptive management options, the MOTIVE project (Models for Adaptive Forest Management), is testing different options e.g. in thinning regimes, rotation length and species composition in ten case study areas. ... > full story
Plants 'remember' winter to bloom in spring with help of special molecule (December 7, 2010) -- The role a key molecule plays in a plant's ability to remember winter, and therefore bloom in the spring, has been identified. ... > full story
Scientists map changes in genetic networks caused by DNA damage (December 7, 2010) -- Using a new technology called "differential epistasis maps," scientists have documented for the first time how a cellular genetic network completely rewires itself in response to stress by DNA-damaging agents. ... > full story
Pacific sperm whales exposed to PAHs, pesticides, other pollutants (December 7, 2010) -- Whale researchers found evidence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants, including the pesticide DDT, in Pacific Ocean-dwelling sperm whales. ... > full story
Milestone in fight against deadly disease: 500 protein structures mapped and solved (December 7, 2010) -- Scientists have reached a major milestone in the effort to wipe out some of the most lethal diseases on the planet. They've experimentally determined 500 three-dimensional protein structures from a number of bacterial and protozoan pathogens, which could potentially lead to new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to combat deadly infectious diseases. ... > full story
Teens get more ear infections when someone smokes at home (December 7, 2010) -- Family members who smoke are more apt to feel it is OK to smoke indoors as their children get older. But in households with secondhand smoke, children between 12 and 17 are 1.67 times more prone to have recurrent ear infections compared to adolescents who live in a smoke-free environment, a large new study reveals. ... > full story
Life found thriving in porous rock deep beneath the seafloor (December 7, 2010) -- Researchers have found compelling evidence for an extensive biological community living in porous rock deep beneath the seafloor. The microbes in this hidden world appear to be an important source of dissolved organic matter in deep ocean water, a finding that could dramatically change ideas about the ocean carbon cycle. ... > full story
Butter contaminated by PBDE flame retardant (December 7, 2010) -- A new study reports what scientists believe is the worst documented U.S. case of food contamination with polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. The incident also marks the first time food contamination has been thought to result from PBDEs in a food's packaging. ... > full story
Drugs can pass through human body almost intact: New concerns for antibiotic resistance, pollution identified (December 7, 2010) -- When an antibiotic is consumed, researchers have learned that up to 90 percent passes through a body without metabolizing. This means the drugs can leave the body almost intact through normal bodily functions. ... > full story
Flu vaccine grown in bacteria works like vaccine grown in chicken eggs (December 7, 2010) -- Only the fragile chicken egg stands between Americans and a flu pandemic that would claim tens of thousands more lives than are usually lost to the flu each year. Now scientists have taken an important step toward ending the dominance of the oval, showing that an experimental flu vaccine grown entirely in bacteria triggers in people an immune response that would protect them against the flu. ... > full story
Warring Greeks found peace in ancient Egypt: Researcher uncovers origins of Greek trade city in Egypt's Nile delta region (December 7, 2010) -- Naukrtis, a Greek trade city in Egypt's Nile Delta region, has long fascinated archaeologists and historians. Now, archaeologists have found that instead of settling in Naukrtis of their own free will as previously believed, the community consisted of a select group of Greeks commissioned by the empire of Lydia to set up a trade emporium. ... > full story
Shy trout size it up (December 7, 2010) -- Personality is not just a feature unique to humans and pets. Scientists have revealed that also brown trout have individual characters and show different personalities. ... > full story
Power grid of the future saves energy (December 7, 2010) -- Green energy too comes out of the electricity socket, but to get there it has to travel a long journey -- from wind turbines in the North Sea or regional solar, wind and biogas power plants. On the way to the consumer lots of energy is lost. New electronic components will change things in future. ... > full story
Plants engineered to produce new drugs (December 7, 2010) -- Humans have long taken advantage of the huge variety of medicinal compounds produced by plants. Now chemists have found a new way to expand plants' pharmaceutical repertoire by genetically engineering them to produce unnatural variants of their usual products. ... > full story
Mechanism responsible for spreading biofilm infections identified (December 7, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered how catheter-related bacterial infection develops and disseminates to become a potentially life-threatening condition. The study, which included research on Staphylococcus epidermidis in mice implanted with catheters, could have important implications for understanding many types of bacterial biofilm infections, including those caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus. ... > full story
Ravenous foreign pests threaten U.S. national forests (December 7, 2010) -- Foreign pests are eating their way through U.S. national forests, destroying majestic scenery and costing taxpayers millions of dollars. ... > full story
Life-saving in the bacterial world: How Campylobacter rely on Pseudomonas to infect humans (December 7, 2010) -- The bacterium Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of food poisoning in humans. It is normally transmitted from contaminated chicken meat, as it is frequently found in the intestines of chickens, where it apparently does not result in any symptoms. Campylobacter jejuni is well adapted to life in the intestines of animals -- and humans -- so it is surprising that it is able to survive on the surface of meat, which is generally stored in a much more oxygen-rich atmosphere. Researchers have now solved the puzzle, showing that Campylobacter can survive ambient oxygen levels thanks to the presence of other bacteria, species of Pseudomonas. ... > full story
New microscopic life aboard the RMS Titanic (December 7, 2010) -- A brand-new bacterial species has been found aboard the RMS Titanic, which is contributing to its deterioration. The discovery reveals a potential new microbial threat to the exterior of ships and underwater metal structures such as oil rigs. ... > full story
Measuring air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in the open ocean (December 7, 2010) -- Scientists have measured the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in the open ocean at higher wind speed then anyone else has ever managed. Their findings are important for understanding how interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere influence climate. ... > full story
Diners may be willing to pay more to eat at 'green' restaurants (December 7, 2010) -- Many US restaurants may be ignoring a desire by American consumers to dine at environmentally friendly restaurants, according to a small exploratory study. Researchers found that more than eight out of 10 restaurant patrons surveyed in Columbus said they would be willing to pay more to dine at "green" restaurants. More than seven out of 10 said it was good for restaurants to protect the environment. ... > full story
Threshold sea surface temperature for hurricanes and tropical thunderstorms is rising (December 6, 2010) -- Scientists have long known that atmospheric convection in the form of hurricanes and tropical ocean thunderstorms occurs when sea surface temperature (SST) rises above a threshold. So how do rising ocean temperatures with global warming affect this threshold? If the threshold does not rise, it could mean more frequent hurricanes. A new study shows this threshold SST for convection is rising under global warming at the same rate as that of the tropical oceans. ... > full story
LouseBuster: Head lice shrivel with chemical-free warm-air device (December 6, 2010) -- Four years after the LouseBuster prototype made headlines when research showed the chemical-free, warm-air device wiped out head lice on children, a new study reveals that a revamped, government-cleared model is highly effective. ... > full story
Pregnant mother's diet impacts infant's sense of smell, alters brain development (December 6, 2010) -- New study shows a pregnant mother's diet directly impacts an infant's food choices in the future. ... > full story
Cultured kidney cell layer is a step towards improved dialysis (December 6, 2010) -- Researchers in the Netherlands have succeeded in culturing a layer of kidney cells in the lab. These cells maintained their functional properties, and are able to purify blood. The key to this success is a new kind of bioactive synthetic membrane with a structure resembling that of human basement membrane in the kidney. This is a step towards improved kidney dialysis. The ultimate aim of the scientists is to be able to grow whole biological artificial kidneys using autologous cells. ... > full story
Oh deer: Protecting this year’s Christmas tree crop (December 6, 2010) -- Hair clippings, cayenne pepper and raw eggs -- these are just a few of the odd ingredients recommended to keep those pesky deer away from your backyard garden. But what about farmers who have hundreds of acres of Christmas trees to protect? Specialists have now found an effective, inexpensive alternative to available commercial products to keep the deer at bay. ... > full story
Change in temperature uncovers genetic cross talk in plant immunity; Discovery sheds light on how plants fight off bacterial infections (December 6, 2010) -- Researchers recently "tapped" into two proteins' communications with the nucleus and discovered a previously unknown level of cross talk. The discovery adds important new information about how plant proteins mediate resistance to bacteria that cause disease and may ultimately lead to novel strategies for boosting a plant's immune system. ... > full story
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