ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, May 28, 2011 ~ techdeck

Sabtu, 28 Mei 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, May 28, 2011

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ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, May 28, 2011

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Bleach in the Icelandic Volcanic Cloud (May 27, 2011) -- Chlorine in the ash plume of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull attacked atmospheric trace gases. One year after the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland brought European air traffic to a standstill its ash plume revealed a surprising scientific finding: Researchers found that the ash plume contained not only the common volcanic gas sulfur dioxide, but also free chlorine radicals. Chlorine radicals are extremely reactive and even small amounts can have a profound impact on local atmospheric chemistry. The findings give solid evidence of volcanic plume chlorine radical chemistry and allowed calculations of chlorine radical concentrations. ... > full story

Green and lean: Secreting bacteria eliminate cost barriers for renewable biofuel production (May 27, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a process that removes a key obstacle to producing low-cost, renewable biofuels from bacteria. The team has reprogrammed photosynthetic microbes to secrete high-energy fats, making byproduct recovery and conversion to biofuels easier and potentially more commercially viable. ... > full story

Naturally occurring plant alkaloids could slow down Alzheimer's disease, study suggests (May 27, 2011) -- A family of naturally occurring plant compounds could help prevent or delay memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story

Secret lives of feral and free-roaming house cats tracked (May 27, 2011) -- Researchers (and some cat-owners) wanted to know: What do feral and free-roaming house cats do when they're out of sight? A two-year study offers a first look at the daily lives of these feline paupers and princes, whose territories overlap on the urban, suburban, rural and agricultural edges of many towns. ... > full story

Nanoengineers invent new biomaterial that more closely mimics human tissue (May 27, 2011) -- A new biomaterial designed for repairing damaged human tissue doesn't wrinkle up when it is stretched. The invention from nanoengineers marks a significant breakthrough in tissue engineering because it more closely mimics the properties of native human tissue. ... > full story

Innate immune system proteins attack bacteria by triggering bacterial suicide mechanisms (May 27, 2011) -- A group of proteins that act as the body's built-in line of defense against invading bacteria use a molecular trick to induce bacteria to destroy themselves, researchers have determined. The research could point the way toward new anti-bacterial treatments that could take on bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. ... > full story

Extensive protein interaction network controls gene regulation (May 27, 2011) -- More than half of your DNA is devoted to regulating how the genes that make proteins -- the workhorses of the cells -- carry out their tasks. A team of scientists have identified and classified virtually all the transcriptional coregulators in a human cells. These coregulators control how and to what degree genes are turned on or off as well as when they are active and for how long. ... > full story

Nuclear radiation affects sex of babies, study suggests (May 27, 2011) -- Ionizing radiation is not without danger to human populations. Indeed, exposure to nuclear radiation leads to an increase in male births relative to female births, according to a new study by researchers in Germany. Their work shows that radiation from atomic bomb testing before the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963, the Chernobyl accident, and from living near nuclear facilities, has had a long-term negative effect on the ratio of male to female human births (sex odds). ... > full story

'Policing' stops cheaters from dominating groups of cooperative bacteria (May 27, 2011) -- For cooperation to persist in the often violently competitive realm of bacteria, cheaters must be kept in line. Biologists have now learned that in one bacterium, at least, bacterial cooperators can evolve to "police" the cheaters and arrest their bids for dominance. ... > full story

Researchers evaluate red wine compound for treating concussions in pro boxers (May 27, 2011) -- Researchers are engaging the help of professional boxers and trainers to study whether a component in red wine and grapes could help reduce the short- and long-term effects of concussions. ... > full story

Structure formed by strep protein can trigger toxic shock (May 27, 2011) -- Strep can turn deadly when a protein found on its surface triggers a widespread inflammatory reaction. The protein links with a host protein that is normally involved in blood clotting to form scaffolds. These assemble into dense superstructures that immune cells mistake for blood clots and overreact, leading to sepsis, shock, organ failure and death. ... > full story

Orphan chimpanzees successfully released into the wild using advanced GPS technology (May 27, 2011) -- The 2008 release of 12 orphan chimpanzees into the wild using sophisticated GPS tracking technology has been deemed a success by the project team. The release was the first of its kind to use VHF-GPS store-on-board ARGOS tracking collars to monitor the progress of the chimpanzees. It is also only the second time that rehabilitated chimpanzees have been released back into the wild in an area where other wild chimpanzees live. ... > full story