ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, May 25, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, May 25, 2011

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Birch mouse ancestor discovered in Inner Mongolia is new species of rare 'living fossil' (May 25, 2011) -- Fossils from Inner Mongolia are a new species of birch mice, Sicista primus. This significantly extends the geologic history of the rodent family that includes jumping mice. The teeth from sediments 17 million years old distinguish the birch mice genus Sicista as a rare "living fossil" and indicate Sicista migrated from Asia to North America, contrary to what scientists previously hypothesized. ... > full story

Heart failure risk lower in women who often eat baked/broiled fish (May 25, 2011) -- Risk of developing heart failure may be lower for postmenopausal women who frequently eat baked or broiled fish, but higher for those who eat more fried fish, according to researchers. In a recent study, dark fish such as salmon was healthier for the heart than tuna or white fish such as sole. Eating fried fish one or more times per week was associated with a 48 percent higher risk of heart failure in postmenopausal women compared to those who ate it infrequently. ... > full story

Unusual earthquake gave Japan tsunami extra punch, say scientists (May 25, 2011) -- The March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan were generated on a fault that didn't rupture the usual way, according to researchers. The rupture initially shot westward, then slowed and began rupturing rapidly eastward. The "flip-flop" fault motion first shook Honshu violently, then deformed seafloor sediments on the fault plane with such force that they triggered the huge tsunami. What researchers don't know is whether comparable faults could behave in a similar fashion. ... > full story

Healing power of hydrogen peroxide: How injured cells regenerate during wound healing (May 25, 2011) -- New information has come to light explaining how injured skin cells and touch-sensing nerve fibers regenerate during wound healing. It was found that a chemical signal released by wounded skin cells promotes the regeneration of sensory fibers, thus helping to ensure that touch sensation is restored to healing skin. The reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, which is found at high concentrations at wounds, was found to be a key component of this signal. ... > full story

Beyond the barn: Keeping dairy cows outside is good for the outdoors (May 24, 2011) -- Computer simulation studies suggest that a dairy cow living year-round in the great outdoors may leave a markedly smaller ecological hoofprint than its more sheltered sisters. ... > full story

Population genetics reveals shared ancestries: DNA links modern Europeans, Middle Easterners to Sub-Saharan Africans (May 24, 2011) -- More than just a tool for predicting health, modern genetics is upending long-held assumptions about who we are. A recent study casts new light on the intermingling and migration of European, Middle Eastern and African and populations since ancient times. ... > full story

Rethinking extinction risk? Criteria for assessing risk of extinction in plants should be reconsidered, experts argue (May 24, 2011) -- For over 40 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has published the Red List of Threatened Species describing the conservation status of various species of animals. They're now also including plants in their lists and the picture they present is dramatic: according to recent estimates, around 20 percent of flowering plants are at risk of extinction. Now, however, new research suggests that the criteria for assessing extinction risk in plants should be reconsidered. ... > full story

Two Greenland glaciers lose enough ice to fill Lake Erie (May 24, 2011) -- A new study aimed at refining the way scientists measure ice loss in Greenland is providing a "high-definition picture" of climate-caused changes on the island. And the picture isn't pretty. In the last decade, two of the largest three glaciers draining that frozen landscape have lost enough ice that, if melted, could have filled Lake Erie. ... > full story

Cockroach allergens in homes associated with prevalence of childhood asthma in some neighborhoods (May 24, 2011) -- Researchers compared the household presence of cockroach, mouse, cat, dust mite and other allergens in neighborhoods with a high prevalence of asthma to that in low-prevalence neighborhoods. They found that cockroach, mouse and cat allergens were significantly higher in homes located in neighborhoods where asthma is more common and that children in these higher-exposure homes were more likely to be sensitized to cockroach antigens. ... > full story

New way to analyze a bloody crime scene: Chicken wing sauce and trigonometry brought to bear on CSI enigma (May 24, 2011) -- Physicists have worked out a system that can often determine exactly where blood spatters originate, a critical piece of evidence in not only solving a crime but securing a conviction. ... > full story

Common fire retardant harmful to aquatic life (May 24, 2011) -- Environmental health researchers found that zebra fish exposed to several different technical mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers -- a common fire retardant -- during early development can have developmental malformations, changes in behavior and death. ... > full story

Natural product shows pain-killing properties (May 24, 2011) -- Scientists have for the first time accomplished a laboratory synthesis of a rare natural product isolated from the bark of a plant widely employed in traditional medicine. This advance may provide the scientific foundation to develop an effective alternative to commonly prescribed narcotic pain treatments. ... > full story

Scientists find odd twist in slow 'earthquakes': Tremor running backwards (May 24, 2011) -- Scientists find that in an unfelt, weeks-long seismic phenomenon called episodic tremor and slip, the tremor can suddenly reverse direction and travel back through areas of the fault that it had ruptured in preceding days. ... > full story

Mushroom compound suppresses prostate tumors (May 24, 2011) -- A mushroom used in Asia for its medicinal benefits has been found to be 100 percent effective in suppressing prostate tumor development in mice during early trials, new research shows. ... > full story

New device could reduce surgical scarring (May 24, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a special wound dressing that they report was able to significantly reduced scar tissue caused by incisions. ... > full story

Mediterranean Sea invaded by hundreds of alien species (May 24, 2011) -- More than 900 new alien species have been encountered in the coastal environments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea in recent decades, including the poisonous pufferfish. The invasion of alien species has had the consequence that the whole food chain is changing, while there is a lack of knowledge on which to base relevant risk assessments, a four-year study shows. ... > full story

Globalization exposes food supply to unsanitary practices, scientists say (May 24, 2011) -- As the United States continues to import increasingly more of its food from developing nations, we are putting ourselves at greater risk of foodborne disease as many of these countries do not have the same sanitary standards as the U.S. for production, especially in the case of seafood and fresh produce, say scientists. In 2010 over 80% of fish and seafood consumed in the United States was imported, and much of that came from Asia. Raw domestic sewage and/or livestock manure are frequently used in fish farming in many Asian countries. In Thailand some chicken coops sit in rows suspended over ponds that hold shrimp and fish that feed on the waste that falls from above. ... > full story

Ants give new evidence for interaction networks (May 24, 2011) -- Social networks may function differently than previously thought, researchers have discovered by taking clues from ant colonies. ... > full story

Scientists identify most proteins made by parasitic worm (May 24, 2011) -- Scientists have completed a large-scale analysis of most of the proteins produced by Brugia malayi, one kind of parasitic worm that causes lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis. The greatly swollen lower limbs that can result from chronic infection with this mosquito-borne parasite can be severely disabling. ... > full story

California's energy future: Aggressive efficiency and electrification needed to cut emissions (May 24, 2011) -- In the next 40 years, California's demand for energy is expected to double. So can it really reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, as required by an executive order? Scientists who authored a new report on California's energy future are optimistic that the target can be achieved, though not without bold policy and behavioral changes as well as some scientific innovation. ... > full story

Spiders suffer from human impact (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers looked at whether spiders were more tolerant of human impact than other animals. The answer was no: arachnids suffer the consequences of changes to their landscape just like any other animal. ... > full story

Mummies tell history of a 'modern' plague (May 23, 2011) -- Mummies from along the Nile are revealing how age-old irrigation techniques may have boosted the plague of schistosomiasis, a water-borne parasitic disease that infects an estimated 200 million people today. An analysis by scientists of mummies from Nubia, a former kingdom located in present-day Sudan, provides details for the first time about the prevalence of the disease in ancient times, and how human alteration of the environment may have contributed to its spread. ... > full story

Comfort food: Protein from probiotic bacteria may alleviate inflammatory bowel disorders (May 23, 2011) -- A protein isolated from beneficial bacteria found in yogurt and dairy products could offer a new, oral therapeutic option for inflammatory bowel disorders, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Pre-meal dietary supplement can help overcome fat and sugar problems, study suggests (May 23, 2011) -- A little bitter with a little sweet, in the form of a nano-complex dietary supplement taken before meals, can result in a substantial reduction of fat and sugar absorption in the body, researchers have found. ... > full story

U.S. honey bee losses at 30% for 2010-2011 winter (May 23, 2011) -- Total losses from managed honey bee colonies across the U.S. were 30 percent from all causes for the 2010/2011 winter, according to the results of an annual survey. This is roughly similar to total losses reported in similar surveys done in the four previous years: 34 percent for the 2009/2010 winter, 29 percent for 2008/2009; 36 percent for 2007/2008, and 32 percent for 2006/2007. ... > full story

Ulcer bacteria may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease (May 23, 2011) -- The stomach bacteria responsible for ulcers could also play a role in the development of Parkinson's disease according to new research. ... > full story

Scientists explore hidden world of ancient maritime Maya (May 23, 2011) -- Explorers are searching a wild, largely unexplored and forgotten coastline for evidence and artifacts of one of the greatest seafaring traditions of the ancient New World, where Maya traders once paddled massive dugout canoes filled with trade goods from across Mexico and Central America. One exploration goal is to discover the remains of a Maya trading canoe, described in A.D. 1502 by Christopher Columbus' son Ferdinand, as holding 25 paddlers plus cargo and passengers. ... > full story

Platform developed to monitor hematopoietic stem cells (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have developed an automated microfluidic cell culture platform to monitor the growth, survival and responses of hundreds of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) at the single cell level. ... > full story

Species reemergence after collapse: Possible but different, mathematical model shows (May 23, 2011) -- Species pairs that disappear through hybridization after human-induced changes to the environment can reemerge if the disturbance is removed, according to a new mathematical model that shows the conditions under which reemergence might happen. ... > full story

Gulf currents primed bacteria to degrade oil spill (May 23, 2011) -- A new computer model of the Gulf of Mexico in the period after the 2010 oil spill provides insights into how underwater currents may have primed marine microorganisms to degrade the oil. ... > full story

The dance of the cells: A minuet or a mosh? (May 23, 2011) -- Scientists have, for the first time, devised a way to measure the forces that guide how cells migrate during collective cellular migration. Their surprising conclusion is that the cells fight it out, each pushing and pulling on its neighbors in a chaotic dance, yet together moving cooperatively toward their intended direction. ... > full story

Genetic fine print with big consequences: Multiple stop points in genes are more important than thought (May 23, 2011) -- A fly without an abdomen is the devastating result of a small genetic change discovered by a Portuguese team. When the stop-signal from a fruit fly gene is removed, the flies suffer developmental abnormalities and die. A new article shows that it matters which of the two polo gene stop-signals cells use. And that losing the second one leads to severe problems with normal development and, eventually, death. ... > full story

South America's oldest textiles identified with carbon dating (May 23, 2011) -- Textiles and rope fragments found in a Peruvian cave have been dated to around 12,000 years ago, making them the oldest textiles ever found in South America, according to a new report. ... > full story

How animals sense potentially harmful acids (May 23, 2011) -- All animals face the challenge of deciding which chemicals in the environment are useful and which are harmful. A new study greatly improves our understanding of how animals sense an important class of potentially harmful chemicals: weak acids. ... > full story

Changes in vegetation determine how animals migrate (May 23, 2011) -- The predictability and scale of seasonal changes in a habitat help determine the distance migratory species move and whether the animals always travel together to the same place or independently to different locations, according to a new article. The study's findings have significant implications for land managers around the world working to conserve endangered species that migrate. ... > full story

New green technology for hydrogen production (May 23, 2011) -- A researcher has completed a proof-of-concept for a new and clean technology to produce high purity hydrogen from natural gas. This allows hydrogen to be produced in an elegant technique at much lower temperatures, and without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. ... > full story

Movement without muscles: Zoologists on trail of evolution of body contractions (May 23, 2011) -- All animals move -- cheetahs faster, snails more slowly. Muscle contractions are the basis of movement in many, but not all, species. Some animal groups don't have any muscles at all, as they branched off from the evolutionary path before muscle cells evolved. Yet these animal groups -- for instance, the sea sponges -- are not incapable of movement. Sponges are able to contract without muscles. But which cells in sponges are actually contracting? ... > full story

Scientists observe single gene activity in living cells in detail for first time (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA that go on to make the protein coded by the gene. ... > full story

Livestock also suffer traffic accidents during transport (May 23, 2011) -- A Spanish study has analyzed traffic accidents involving cattle being transported for human consumption in the country for the first time. Despite the "relatively" low mortality rate, animals suffer high-risk situations that cause pain and stress. The scientists say that specific protocols for action are needed with regard to these accidents, and to prepare the emergency services to deal with them. ... > full story

'Death anxiety' prompts people to believe in intelligent design, reject evolution, study suggests (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have found that people's 'death anxiety' can influence them to support theories of intelligent design and reject evolutionary theory. ... > full story

Oceanic land crab extinction linked to colonization of Hawaii (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have described a new species of land crab that documents the first crab extinction during the human era. The loss of the crab likely greatly impacted the ecology of the Hawaiian Islands, as land crabs are major predators, control litter decomposition and help in nutrient cycling and seed dispersal. Their disappearance was caused by the arrival of humans to the islands and resulted in large-scale changes in the state's ecosystem. ... > full story

Evolutionary conservation of fat metabolism pathways (May 23, 2011) -- A new study recently revealed just how similarly mammals and insects make critical metabolic adjustments when food availability changes, either due to environmental catastrophe or everyday changes in sleep/wake cycles. Those findings may suggest novel ways to treat metabolic conditions such as obesity and type II diabetes. ... > full story

Emissions trading doesn't cause pollution 'hot spots,' study finds (May 23, 2011) -- Critics worry that trading emissions allowances will create heavily polluted "hot spots" in low-income and minority communities. But a new study finds the problem hasn't materialized. ... > full story

Freedom in the swamp: Unearthing the secret history of the Great Dismal Swamp (May 23, 2011) -- Anthropologists have been researching maroons (African-Americans who permanently escaped enslavement) and other communities in the Great Dismal Swamp's approximately 200 square miles of densely wooded wetlands in southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina. ... > full story

Out of Africa: How the fruit fly made its way in the world (May 22, 2011) -- The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster used to be found only in sub-Saharan Africa, but about 10,000 years ago it began to colonize Asia and Europe. This period saw the start of human agriculture and the domestication of cats and oxen, but we have no evidence to suggest that early agricultural practices were associated with significant global warming. So, the fly's northerly spread is thought to relate to genetic factors rather than to environmental changes. Now researchers in Austria offer an intriguing clue to the mechanism. ... > full story

Embryonic cells: Predicting fate of personalized cells may be next step toward new therapies (May 22, 2011) -- Discovering the step-by-step details of the path embryonic cells take to develop into their final tissue type is the clinical goal of many stem cell biologists. To that end, researchers looked at immature cells called progenitors and found a way to potentially predict their fate. They base this on how the protein spools around which DNA winds -- called histones -- are marked by other proteins. ... > full story

Chinese herbal paste may help prevent exacerbations of COPD (May 22, 2011) -- A traditional Chinese herbal paste known as Xiao Chuan, or XCP, may help reduce winter exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a new study conducted by researchers in Beijing. The paste has been used to treat breathing difficulties in China for more than a thousand years. ... > full story

Engineers scale up process that could improve economics of ethanol production (May 22, 2011) -- Engineers have built a pilot plant to test a process designed to improve ethanol production. They're growing fungi on some of ethanol's leftovers to make a quality animal feed and to clean water so it can be recycled back into fuel production. The researchers think the fungi could also be developed into a low-cost nutritional supplement for people. ... > full story