ScienceDaily Environment Headlines
for Friday, October 1, 2010
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No evidence for Clovis comet catastrophe, archaeologists say (October 1, 2010) -- New research challenges the controversial theory that an ancient comet impact devastated the Clovis people, one of the earliest known cultures to inhabit North America. ... > full story
Dog ownership is associated with reduced eczema in children with dog allergies (October 1, 2010) -- Children with eczema have a greater risk of developing asthma and food allergies. The number of children with eczema is rising, but the reasons are unclear. A new study examines the relationship between pet ownership and eczema. Researchers found that dog ownership among children with dog allergies may reduce the risk of developing eczema by age 4 years; cat ownership, however, may increase the risk among children with cat allergies. ... > full story
Species accumulate on Earth at slower rates than in the past, computational biologists say (October 1, 2010) -- Computational biologists say that species are still accumulating on Earth but at a slower rate than in the past. ... > full story
Growing drought-resistant plants: Research could offer alternative to genetically-engineered crops to combat global food shortages (October 1, 2010) -- New findings could lead to environmentally-friendly sprays that help plants survive drought and other stresses in harsh environments to combat global food shortages. ... > full story
Genome of mosquito that spreads West Nile virus sequenced (September 30, 2010) -- To understand the genetic makeup of the Culex mosquito, and how the insect is able to transmit this and other viruses, scientists have sequenced the genome of Culex quinquefasciatus, a representative of the Culex genus of mosquitoes. The genome could give scientists clues to target specific Culex genes involved in the transmission of West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, lymphatic filariasis and other diseases. ... > full story
Offshore San Andreas Fault and associated ecosystems mapped (September 30, 2010) -- An effort to map offshore portions of the San Andreas fault could help scientists better understand past earthquakes -- and the potential for future ones. ... > full story
Plants that move: How a New Zealand species disperses seeds in a high alpine, wet environment (September 30, 2010) -- High in an alpine meadow, a researcher crouched low to the ground and splashed some water from her water bottle on a low green plant cushion, then sat back waiting to see if something would move. Sound crazy? Many hikers passing by her may have thought so, but she was trying to find potential plant species that possess a type of plant movement called hygrochasy. ... > full story
Fossilized giant penguin reveals unusual colors, sheds light on bird evolution (September 30, 2010) -- Paleontologists have unearthed the first extinct penguin with preserved evidence of scales and feathers. The 36-million-year-old fossil from Peru shows the new giant penguin's feathers were reddish brown and gray, distinct from the black tuxedoed look of living penguins. The fossil shows the flipper and feather shapes that make penguins such powerful swimmers evolved early, while the color patterning of living penguins is likely a much more recent innovation. ... > full story
Mutations in the gene SCARF2 responsible for Van Den Ende-Gupta syndrome, study suggests (September 30, 2010) -- Scientists studied three patients from biologically interrelated Bedouin families, and sent samples to Canada for analysis by GA JOE -- a high-tech genome analyzing machine. They discovered that mutations in the gene SCARF2 are responsible for Van Den Ende-Gupta syndrome. ... > full story
Most complete beer 'proteome' finding could lead to engineered brews (September 30, 2010) -- In an advance that may give brewers powerful new ability to engineer the flavor and aroma of beer -- the world's favorite alcoholic beverage -- scientists are publishing the most comprehensive deciphering of the beer's "proteome" ever reported. ... > full story
Maternal diet high in trans fats doubles risk of excess body fat in breastfed babies, study finds (September 30, 2010) -- A new study suggests that mothers who consume a diet high in trans fats double the likelihood that their infants will have high levels of body fat. ... > full story
Research lays foundation for building on the Moon -- or anywhere else (September 30, 2010) -- The key to the stability of any building is its foundation, but it is difficult to test some building sites in advance -- such as those on the moon. New research is helping resolve the problem by using computer models that can utilize a small sample of soil to answer fundamental questions about how soil at a building site will interact with foundations. ... > full story
For the first time, monkeys recognize themselves in the mirror, indicating self-awareness (September 30, 2010) -- A study shows that under specific conditions, a rhesus macaque monkey that normally would fail the mark test can still recognize itself in the mirror and perform actions that scientists would expect from animals that are self-aware. ... > full story
IV treatment may lower risk of dying from bacterial meningitis (September 30, 2010) -- New research shows that an intravenous treatment -- called dexamethasone -- may cut a person's risk of dying from bacterial meningitis. ... > full story
Blueberries help fight artery hardening, lab animal study indicates (September 30, 2010) -- Blueberries may help fight atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, according to results of a preliminary study with laboratory mice. The research provides the first direct evidence that blueberries can help prevent harmful plaques or lesions, symptomatic of atherosclerosis, from increasing in size in arteries. ... > full story
Strong link between diabetes and air pollution found in national U.S. study (September 30, 2010) -- A national U.S. epidemiologic study finds a strong, consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution that persists after adjustment for other risk factors like obesity and ethnicity, researchers report. The relationship was seen even at exposure levels below the current EPA safety limit. ... > full story
Diet when young affects future food responses (September 30, 2010) -- A high protein diet during development primes the body to react unhealthily to future food binges. A study on juvenile rats suggests that lasting changes result from altering the composition of the first solid food that is consumed throughout growth into early adulthood. ... > full story
Dancing honeybees use democratic process when selecting a new home (September 30, 2010) -- When honeybees seek a new home, they choose the best site through a democratic process that humans would do well to emulate, according to a biologist. ... > full story
Swine flu patients benefited from taking Tamiflu, says study (September 30, 2010) -- Healthy people who caught swine flu during the 2009 pandemic may have been protected against developing radiographically (X-ray) confirmed pneumonia by taking the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), concludes a study of cases in China. ... > full story
New key to tissue regeneration: Drug treatment triggers sodium ions to regrow nerves and muscle (September 29, 2010) -- Tufts biologists have regenerated spinal cord and muscle by triggering an influx of sodium ions into injured cells. The approach breaks new ground in biomedicine because it requires no gene therapy; can be administered after an injury has occurred; and is bioelectric, rather than chemically based. The treatment is most directly applicable to spinal cord repair and limb loss. Proof-of-principle may apply to many complex tissues. ... > full story
Purifying proteins: Researchers use NMR to improve drug development (September 29, 2010) -- The purification of drug components is a large hurdle facing modern drug development. This is particularly true of drugs that utilize proteins, which are notoriously difficult to separate from other potentially deadly impurities. Scientists are using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand and improve an important protein purification process. ... > full story
Model aims to reduce disaster toll on city's social, economic fabric (September 29, 2010) -- Researchers have created a computer model that predicts how a disaster's impact on critical infrastructure would affect a city's social and economic fabric, a potential tool to help reduce the severity of impacts, manage the aftermath of catastrophe and fortify infrastructure against future disasters. ... > full story
Scientists genetically engineer silkworms to produce artificial spider silk (September 29, 2010) -- A research and development effort by the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wyoming, and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. has succeeded in producing transgenic silkworms capable of spinning artificial spider silks. ... > full story
Coral bleaching likely in Caribbean this year (September 29, 2010) -- Coral bleaching is likely in the Caribbean in 2010, according to new research. With temperatures above-average all year, NOAA's models show a strong potential for bleaching in the southern and southeastern Caribbean through October that could be as severe as in 2005 when over 80 percent of corals bleached and over 40 percent died at many sites across the Caribbean. ... > full story
New oil detection technique (September 29, 2010) -- Australian scientists have developed a revolutionary technique for the rapid on-site detection and quantification of petroleum hydrocarbons (commonly derived from crude oil) in soil, silt, sediment or rock. ... > full story
Genome inversion gives plant a new lifestyle (September 29, 2010) -- The yellow monkeyflower, an unassuming little plant that lives as both a perennial on the foggy coasts of the Pacific Northwest and a dry-land annual hundreds of miles inland, harbors a significant clue about evolution. ... > full story
Carbon nanoobjects to facilitate the construction of futuristic power sources (September 29, 2010) -- Scientists from Poland are working on electrodes that have surfaces covered with layers of carbon nanoparticles and enzymes. These electrodes can be used to produce modern sensors and power sources, including such futuristic ones as biological fuel cells installed inside the human body and fueled by substances contained in blood. ... > full story
Sparkling drinks spark pain circuits: Fizzy beverages light up same pain sensors as mustard and horseradish (September 29, 2010) -- The carbon dioxide in carbonated drinks sets off the same pain sensors as mustard and horseradish, according to new study, as well as previously discovered sour-tasting cells on tongue. ... > full story
Climate accord loopholes could spell 4.2-degree rise in temperature and end of coral reefs by 2100 (September 29, 2010) -- A global temperature increase of up to 4.2 degrees Celsius and the end of coral reefs could become reality by 2100 if national targets are not revised in the Copenhagen Accord, the international pledge which was agreed at last year's Copenhagen's COP15 climate change conference, according to a new report. ... > full story
Revolutionary new way of reversing certain cancers (September 29, 2010) -- Australian and American scientists have found a way of shrinking tumors in certain cancers -- a finding that provides hope for new treatments. The cancers in question are those caused by a new class of genes known as "microRNAs," produced by parts of the genome that, until recently, were dismissed as "junk DNA." While much is still unknown about microRNAs, it is clear that they can interfere with how our genes are "read." ... > full story
Ultrafine air particles may increase firefighters' risk for heart disease (September 29, 2010) -- Firefighters are exposed to potentially dangerous levels of ultrafine particulates at the time they are least likely to wear protective breathing equipment. Because of this, researchers believe firefighters may face an increased risk for heart disease from exposures during the fire suppression process. ... > full story
Tiny generators turn waste heat into power (September 29, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered a novel way to power tiny devices using waste heat. Arrays of tiny ferroelectric nanowires have been shown to rapidly generate a current in response to any change in the ambient temperature. ... > full story
More than one-fifth of world's plants face threat of extinction, new analysis finds (September 29, 2010) -- A global analysis of extinction risk for the world's plants, conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew together with the Natural History Museum, London and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed that the world's plants are as threatened as mammals, with one in five of the world's plant species threatened with extinction. ... > full story
Brilliant Northeast fall colors hang in the balance, and heat is the deciding factor (September 29, 2010) -- The abundant sunshine we have had much of this summer and fall has likely produced leaves high in sugars, and sugars are important for production of anthocyanins pigments which produce rich red colors. ... > full story
Researchers find differences between Galapagos and mainland frigatebirds (September 29, 2010) -- The Galapagos population of the magnificent frigatebird may be its own genetically distinct species warranting a new conservation status, according to a new study. ... > full story
The precious commodity of water (September 29, 2010) -- Water is a valuable resource, which is why researchers are demonstrating how we can extract precious drinking water from air, discover a leak in pipeline systems and even effectively clean sewage water. ... > full story
19-million-year-old genomic fossils of hepatitis B-like viruses in songbirds (September 29, 2010) -- Biologists have uncovered virus fragments from the same family of the modern hepatitis B virus locked inside the genomes of songbirds such as the modern-day zebra finch. ... > full story
Sustainable material for wine bottle stoppers being developed (September 29, 2010) -- Researchers are developing a new sustainable material to make stoppers for wine bottles. The aim of the project is to substitute the plastic stoppers used for wine bottles with stoppers that are made up of a composite material. ... > full story
New twists in double helix discovery story are uncovered (September 29, 2010) -- The story of the double helix's discovery has a few new twists. A new primary source -- a never-before-read stack of letters to and from Francis Crick, and other historical materials dating from the years 1950-76 -- has been uncovered by two professors at the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The letters both confirm and extend current knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the epoch-making discovery of DNA's elegant double-helical structure. ... > full story
Sneaking spies into a cell's nucleus (September 28, 2010) -- Bioengineers have not only figured out a way to sneak molecular spies through the walls of individual cells, they can now slip them into the command center -- or nucleus -- of those cells, where they can report back important information or drop off payloads. ... > full story
Potential climate change side effect: More parasites on South American birds (September 28, 2010) -- A new study on nesting birds in Argentina finds that increasing temperatures and rainfall -- both side effects of climate change in some parts of the world -- could be bad for birds of South America, but great for some of their parasites which thrive in warmer and wetter conditions. ... > full story
Scientists consider fate of pandemic H1N1 flu virus (September 28, 2010) -- In a new commentary, scientists review the fates of previous pandemic influenza viruses in the years following a pandemic and speculate on possible future courses for the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus during the upcoming flu season and beyond. ... > full story
Structural Genomics Consortium releases 1,000th protein structure (September 28, 2010) -- The Structural Genomics Consortium, an international public-private partnership that aims to determine 3-D structures of medically important proteins, has announced the release into the public domain of its 1,000th high-resolution protein structure. ... > full story
Genetic differences in sense of smell identified through asparagus urine odor (September 28, 2010) -- Scientists have identified one of only a few known genetic contributions to the sense of smell. Most, but not all, people detect a distinct sulfurous odor in their urine shortly after eating asparagus. Sensory testing demonstrated that some do not produce the odor while others do not smell it. DNA analyses revealed that the inability to smell the odor was linked to genetic variation within a family of olfactory receptors. ... > full story
'Firefly' stem cells may help repair damaged hearts (September 28, 2010) -- Stem cells that glow like fireflies could someday help doctors heal damaged hearts without cutting into patients' chests. Researchers engineered stem cells with the same enzyme that makes fireflies glow. The "firefly" stem cells glow brighter and brighter as they develop into healthy heart muscle, allowing doctors to track whether and where the stem cells are working. ... > full story
Pet allergies worsen hay fever symptoms, study finds (September 28, 2010) -- Being allergic to dogs or cats may worsen your ragweed allergies, according to a new study. Researchers found that people with pet allergies often develop ragweed allergy symptoms more quickly than others. But the study also suggests that once allergy season is in full swing, those symptom differences subside. ... > full story
Geologists find parts of Northwest Houston, Texas sinking rapidly (September 28, 2010) -- A large section of northwestern Harris County in the area of Houston, Texas is sinking rapidly, according to a geologist who has analyzed GPS data measuring ground elevation in the area. The researchers studied a decade's worth of detailed GPS data measuring the elevation of various points throughout the Houston area. ... > full story
'Hobbit' was an iodine-deficient human, not another species, new study suggests (September 28, 2010) -- A new paper is set to re-ignite debate over the origins of so-called Homo floresiensis -- the 'hobbit' that some scientists have claimed as a new species of human. Researchers have reconfirmed their original finding on the skull that Homo floresiensis in fact bears the hallmarks of humans -- Homo sapiens -- affected by hypothyroid cretinism. ... > full story
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