ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, August 20, 2011 ~ techdeck

Sabtu, 20 Agustus 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, August 20, 2011

02.23 technofi No comments

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, August 20, 2011

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Lessons learned from the two worst oils spills in US history: Microbes matter (August 19, 2011) -- One year after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and two decades after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, the scientific lesson is clear -- microbes matter! Despite vast differences in the ecosystems and circumstances of these two worst oil spills in US history, oil-degrading microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both spills, scientists report. ... > full story

Education leaders call for radical transformation in graduate biomedical curriculum (August 19, 2011) -- Leaders in biomedical education are calling for a radical new approach to post-graduate training in the life sciences to address significant challenges, including an avalanche of new discoveries in the last decade and the need to transcend traditional departmental boundaries to understand biological processes at multiple levels. ... > full story

Molecular scientists develop color-changing stress sensor (August 19, 2011) -- It is helpful -- even life-saving -- to have a warning sign before a structural system fails, but, when the system is only a few nanometers in size, having a sign that's easy to read is a challenge. Now, thanks to a clever bit of molecular design by bioengineers and chemists, such warning can come in the form of a simple color change. ... > full story

Micro-organisms are 'invisible' to the immune system (August 19, 2011) -- That micro-organisms have a great capacity to vary their surface structure is well known. It is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to develop vaccines against HIV and malaria, and why new influenza vaccines have to be produced every year. But it seems that these micro-organisms are also able to completely avoid activating a strong immune response in the person attacked. ... > full story

Realistic simulation of ion flux through membrane sheds light on antibiotic resistance (August 19, 2011) -- A new study describes an innovative new computational model that realistically simulates the complex conditions found in biological systems and allows for a more accurate look at ion channel function at the level of individual atoms. The research provides a remarkably detailed look at the function of a bacterial channel that kills brain cells in people with bacterial meningitis and provides insight into mechanisms that underlie deadly antibiotic resistance. ... > full story

First kangaroo genome sequence reveals possible gene responsible for characteristic hop (August 19, 2011) -- Kangaroos form an important niche in the tree of life, but until now their DNA had never been sequenced. In a new article, an international consortium of researchers present the first kangaroo genome sequence -- that of the tammar wallaby species -- and find hidden in their data the gene that may well be responsible for the kangaroo's characteristic hop. ... > full story

College students not eating enough fruits and veggies, study finds (August 19, 2011) -- College students aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables -- in fact, a new study shows students aren't even eating one serving per day, far from the recommended five daily servings. The study, which surveyed the eating habits of 582 college students, compares male and female students, but found that both were not getting the proper amount of fruits and vegetables. ... > full story

Research team achieves first two-color STED microscopy of living cells (August 19, 2011) -- Current applications of STED microscopy have been limited to single color imaging of living cells and multicolor imaging in "fixed" or preserved cells. However, to study active processes, such as protein interactions, a two-color STED imaging technique is needed in living cells. This has now been achieved for the first time. ... > full story

New images reveal structures of the solar wind as it travels toward and impacts Earth (August 19, 2011) -- Using data collected by NASA's STEREO spacecraft, researchers have developed the first detailed images of solar wind structures as plasma and other particles from a coronal mass ejection traveled 93 million miles and impacted Earth. ... > full story

Climate change and ozone destruction hastened with nitrous oxide used in agriculture (August 19, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new binding site for nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrous oxide reductase, an enzyme containing copper, plays a key role in the biochemical process by reducing N2O to N2. This enzyme is highly sensitive to oxygen and is often precipitated in the reaction chain, meaning large amounts of N2O are released by fertilized fields in the farming industry. ... > full story

Further, faster, higher: Wildlife responds increasingly rapidly to climate change (August 19, 2011) -- New research shows that species have responded to climate change up to three times faster than previously appreciated. ... > full story

DNA construction software saves time, resources and money (August 19, 2011) -- Scientists have developed the first software package for automating DNA construction that not only makes the process faster and more efficient but -- with an eye on the economics of scientific discovery -- also identifies which construction strategy would be the most cost-effective. ... > full story