ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Wednesday, August 24, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Wednesday, August 24, 2011

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Permafrost could release vast amounts of carbon and accelerate climate change by end of century (August 24, 2011) -- Billions of tons of carbon trapped in permafrost may be released into the atmosphere by the end of this century as the Earth's climate changes, further accelerating global warming, a new computer modeling study. The study also found that soil in high-latitude regions could shift from being a sink to a source of carbon dioxide by the end of the 21st century as the soil warms in response to climate change. ... > full story

Coriander oil could tackle food poisoning and drug-resistant infections (August 24, 2011) -- Coriander oil has been shown to be toxic to a broad range of harmful bacteria. Its use in foods and in clinical agents could prevent food-borne illnesses and even treat antibiotic-resistant infections, according to a new study. ... > full story

Hake population has withstood overfishing, thanks to the warming of the sea (August 24, 2011) -- Hake is constantly being fished in the waters of the European Atlantic Ocean and, nevertheless, resists stock depletion relatively well. At times nature is capable of correcting the mistakes made by humans, new research suggests. The environment has favored the hake fish since the 1990s: The sea has turned milder, and so larvae have grown better and faster. ... > full story

Poverty and national parks: Decade-long study finds surprising relationship (August 24, 2011) -- If so many poor people live around national parks in developing countries, does that mean that these parks are contributing to their poverty? Yes, according to the conventional wisdom, but no, according to a 10-year study of people living around Kibale National Park in Uganda. ... > full story

Ancient 'daddy long legs' revealed in 3-D models (August 24, 2011) -- Two ancient types of harvestmen, or 'daddy long legs,' which skittered around forests more than 300 million years ago, are revealed in new three-dimensional virtual fossil models. ... > full story

Research vessel Polarstern at North Pole (August 24, 2011) -- On Aug. 22, 2011, the research icebreaker Polarstern reached the North Pole. The aim of the current expedition is to document changes in the far north. The researchers on board are conducting an investigation of water, ice and air at the North Pole. The little sea ice cover makes the route via the pole to the investigational area in the Canadian Arctic possible. ... > full story

Ancient wild horses help unlock past (August 23, 2011) -- An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to produce compelling evidence that the lack of genetic diversity in modern stallions is the result of the domestication process. The team has carried out the first study on Y chromosomal DNA sequences from extinct ancient wild horses and found an abundance of diversity. ... > full story

Scientists define cellular pathway essential to removing damaged mitochondria (August 23, 2011) -- Researchers have defined a specific protein complex that allows cells to rid themselves of damaged mitochondria, which are the energy producing machines of the cell. ... > full story

New set of building blocks for simple synthesis of complex molecules (August 23, 2011) -- Assembling chemicals can be like putting together a puzzle. Chemists have developed a way of fitting the pieces together to more efficiently build complex molecules, beginning with a powerful and promising antioxidant. ... > full story

Melanin's 'trick' for maintaining radioprotection studied (August 23, 2011) -- Researchers have made new insights into the electrochemical mechanism that gives the complex polymer known as melanin its long-term ability to protect some species from ionizing radiation, with a goal of using that knowledge to develop materials that mimic those natural properties. ... > full story

Food security helps wildlife (August 23, 2011) -- A new study documents the success of a Wildlife Conservation Society program that uses an innovative business model to improve rural livelihoods while restoring local wildlife populations. ... > full story

Low oxygen triggers moth molt: Caterpillars have a respiratory system that is fixed in size (August 23, 2011) -- A new explanation for one of nature's most mysterious processes, the transformation of caterpillars into moths or butterflies, might best be described as breathless. The research shows that a baby moth's respiratory system is fixed in size at each stage of development, which limits its oxygen intake. ... > full story

Southern South American wildfires expected to increase (August 23, 2011) -- A new study indicates a major climate oscillation in the Southern Hemisphere that is expected to intensify in the coming decades will likely cause increased wildfire activity in the southern half of South America. ... > full story

Saffron shows promise in preventing liver cancer, study suggests (August 23, 2011) -- New research suggests that saffron provides a significant chemopreventive effect against liver cancer in animal models. When saffron was administered to rats with diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced liver cancer an inhibition of cell proliferation and stimulation of apoptosis was observed. ... > full story

Regenerative powers in the animal kingdom explored (August 23, 2011) -- Why can one animal re-grow tissues and recover function after injury, while another animal (such as a human being) cannot? This is a central question of regenerative biology, a field that has captured the imagination of scientists and the public since the 18th century, and one that is finally gaining traction and momentum through modern methods of analysis. ... > full story

Genetic markers show something fishy with certified Chilean sea bass sales (August 23, 2011) -- A population biologist has found that not all certified Chilean sea bass are what they are claimed to be. Some fish sold in stores are not from the fishing grounds certified as sustainable, and some are not Chilean sea bass at all. ... > full story

Not so fast: Lasting evolutionary change takes about one million years, researchers find (August 23, 2011) -- In research that will help address a long-running debate and apparent contradiction between short- and long-term evolutionary change, scientists have discovered that although evolution is a constant and sometimes rapid process, the changes that hit and stick tend to take a long time. Give or take a little, one million years seems to be the magic number. ... > full story

Chemists discover most naturally variable protein in dental plaque bacterium (August 23, 2011) -- Chemists have discovered the most naturally variable protein known to date in a bacterium that is a key player in the formation of dental plaque. ... > full story

When well-known flu strains 'hook up' dangerous progeny can result (August 23, 2011) -- A new study finds that a process called reassortment, a kind of viral sexual reproduction, between the virus responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic (H1N1) and a common type of avian flu virus (H9N2) can produce offspring -- new combined flu viruses -- with the potential for creating a new influenza pandemic. ... > full story

Scale models: How patterns stay in sync with size as an embryo grows and develops (August 23, 2011) -- Scientists have added a significant piece to the puzzle of scaling -- how patterns stay in sync with size as an embryo or organism grows and develops. ... > full story

Ancient whale skulls and directional hearing: A twisted tale (August 23, 2011) -- Skewed skulls may have helped early whales discriminate the direction of sounds in water and are not solely, as previously thought, a later adaptation related to echolocation. ... > full story

Milk better than water to rehydrate kids, study finds (August 23, 2011) -- Children become dehydrated during exercise, and it's important they get enough fluids, particularly before going into a second round of a game. A new study by researchers in Canada found that milk is better than either a sports drink or water because it is a source of high quality protein, carbohydrates, calcium and electrolytes. ... > full story

Yeast's epic journey 500 years ago gave rise to lager beer (August 22, 2011) -- An international team of researchers believes it has identified the wild yeast that, in the age of sail, apparently traveled more than 7,000 miles to make a fortuitous microbial match that today underpins the 0 billion a year lager beer industry. ... > full story

Hyenas' ability to count helps them decide to fight or flee (August 22, 2011) -- Being able to count helps spotted hyenas decide to fight or flee, according to new research. When animals fight, the larger group tends to win. Researchers have now shown that hyenas listen to the sound of intruders' voices to determine who has the advantage. ... > full story

Newly discovered Icelandic current could change North Atlantic climate picture (August 22, 2011) -- Physical oceanographers have confirmed the presence of a deep-reaching ocean circulation system off Iceland that could significantly influence the ocean's response to climate change in previously unforeseen ways. ... > full story

Secret life of millipedes (August 22, 2011) -- Male adult helminthomorph millipedes usually have one or two pairs of legs from their seventh segment modified into sexual appendages. These specialized gonopods are used as claspers to hold the female during mating or to transfer sperm. New research has looked in detail at millipede development and the internal reorganization needed to produce functional gonopods. ... > full story

Tuning natural antimicrobials to improve their effectiveness at battling superbugs (August 22, 2011) -- Ongoing research is exploring the use of virus-produced proteins that destroy bacterial cells to combat potentially dangerous microbial infections. Bacteriophages produce endolysin proteins that specifically target certain bacteria, and one team of scientists has been studying one that destroys Clostridium difficile, a common source of hospital-acquired infections. New research is showing that it is possible to "tune" these endolysin properties to increase their effectiveness and effectiveness as antimicrobial agents. ... > full story

Genomewide mapping reveals developmental and environmental impacts (August 22, 2011) -- Complex traits that help plants adapt to environmental challenges are likely influenced by variations in thousands of genes that are affected by both the plant's growth and the external environment, report researchers. ... > full story

Species affected by climate change: To shift or not to shift? (August 22, 2011) -- Relocating species threatened by climate change is a radical and hotly debated strategy for maintaining biodiversity. ... > full story

Breeding ozone-tolerant crops (August 22, 2011) -- Scientists have found that future levels of ground-level ozone could reduce soybean yields by an average 23 percent. ... > full story

Deadly ancient Egyptian medication? German scientists shed light on dark secret of Queen Hatshepsut's flacon (August 22, 2011) -- The corpus delicti is a plain flacon from among the possessions of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who lived around 1450 B.C., which is on exhibit in the permanent collection of the Egyptian Museum of the University of Bonn in Germany. For three and a half millennia, the vessel may have held a deadly secret. This is what researchers there have just discovered. ... > full story

Restoration as science: Case of the collared lizard (August 22, 2011) -- Biologist Alan Templeton fell in love with the eastern collared lizard that lives in the hot, dry Ozark glades when he was 13. By the time he returned from graduate and postgraduate work, 75 percent of the lizard populations had vanished. A new article celebrates the success of his prolonged effort to reintroduce the lizards and make their populations self-sustaining. ... > full story

Oldest fossils on Earth discovered (August 22, 2011) -- Earth's oldest fossils have been found in Australia. The microscopic fossils show convincing evidence for cells and bacteria living in an oxygen-free world over 3.4 billion years ago. ... > full story

At last, a reason why stress causes DNA damage (August 22, 2011) -- For years, researchers have published papers that associate chronic stress with chromosomal damage. Now researchers have discovered a mechanism that helps to explain the stress response in terms of DNA damage. ... > full story

New way to treat common hospital-acquired infection: Novel approach may offer treatment for other bacterial diseases (August 22, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a molecular process by which the body can defend against the effects of Clostridium difficile, an intestinal disease that impacts several million in the U.S. each year. A commonly acquired hospital infection, the disease has become more common, more severe and harder to cure mainly due to the emergence of a new, highly virulent strain of the bacteria that causes it. ... > full story

Computational chemistry shows the way to safer biofuels (August 22, 2011) -- The word "biofuel" sounds positively healthy. But even diesel based on organically grown corn can degrade into toxic and environmentally harmful end products if produced with the wrong method. Now a chemist has developed a mathematical tool that helps predict the environmental impact of various methods of producing the climate friendly alternatives to fossil fuel. This promises cheaper, faster and above all safer ways to develop new biofuels. ... > full story

Imaging probe allows noninvasive detection of dangerous heart-valve infection (August 22, 2011) -- A novel imaging probe may make it possible to diagnose accurately a dangerous infection of the heart valves. Scientists have now shown how the presence of Staphylococcus aureus-associated endocarditis in a mouse model was revealed by PET imaging with a radiolabeled version of a protein involved in a process that usually conceals infecting bacteria from the immune system. ... > full story

Plants and fungi play the 'underground market' (August 22, 2011) -- Plants and fungi co-operate and trade with each other on a biological 'underground market', changing their trading partners if they don't get a fair deal. ... > full story

Student turns paper mill waste into ‘green’ material for industrial applications (August 22, 2011) -- A student in Israel has developed a method to use paper mill waste to produce ecologically friendly, industrial foams from renewable resources. ... > full story

Nitrogen in the soil cleans the air: Nitrogen-containing soil is a source of hydroxyl radicals that remove pollutants from the atmosphere (August 22, 2011) -- Eutrophication harms the environment in many ways. Unexpectedly, nitrogen fertilizer may also be positive for the environment. And even acidic soils, promoting the destruction of forests, can have a positive effect. Researchers in Germany have discovered that nitrogen fertilizer indirectly strengthens the self-cleaning capacity of the atmosphere. Their study shows that nitrous acid is formed in fertilized soil and released to the atmosphere, whereby the amount increases with increasing soil acidity. In the air, nitrous acid leads to the formation of hydroxyl radicals oxidizing pollutants that then can be washed out. ... > full story

Researchers on the trail of a treatment for cancer of the immune system (August 22, 2011) -- Danish researchers have become the first in the world to regulate a special receptor or bio-antenna that plays a vital part when the Epstein Barr herpes virus infects us and when this infection appears to be mutating into cancer of the immune system. Using a biochemical blueprint and a tiny bio-molecule researchers have succeeded in blocking the receptor concerned. This will make it possible to adjust and regulate the memory cells of the immune system. ... > full story

B chromosomes affect sex determination in cichlid fishes (August 22, 2011) -- B chromosomes have a functional effect on sex determination in a species of cichlid fishes from Lake Victoria, according to a study by Japanese researchers. The researchers found sex-ratio distortions caused by B chromosomes in the breeding line of the cichlids, as well as several protein-coding genes in the B chromosomes. The resultant ratio was female biased, suggesting a role for B chromosomes in female sex determination. ... > full story

Cause of stress-related DNA damage pinpointed: Findings suggest new model for developing novel therapeutic approaches (August 22, 2011) -- Sscientists have helped identify a molecular pathway that plays a key role in stress-related damage to the genome, the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. ... > full story

How nitrous oxide is decomposed: Researchers identify structure of enzyme that breaks down potent greenhouse gas (August 22, 2011) -- Nitrous oxide is a harmful climate gas. Its effect as a greenhouse gas is 300 times stronger than that of carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide destroys the ozone layer. In industrial agriculture, it is generated on excessively fertilized fields when microorganisms decompose nitrate fertilizers. Decomposition of nitrous oxide frequently is incomplete and strongly depends on environmental conditions. Researchers have now identified the structure of the enzyme that decomposes nitrous oxide and the decomposition mechanism. ... > full story

New scenario for the formation of Denmark Strait Overflow Water (August 22, 2011) -- A new article revises our current understanding of how the dense overflow waters from the Nordic seas, which represent the headwaters of the Meridional Overturning Circulation's lower limb, are formed. This implies that the timescale for the renewal of the deepest water in the overturning cell, and its sensitivity to changes in climate, could be different than presently envisioned. ... > full story

Making a bee-line for the best rewards (August 21, 2011) -- Bumble bees use complex problem-solving skills to minimize the energy they use when flying to collect food, according to new research. ... > full story

Three waves of evolutionary innovation shaped diversity of vertebrates, genome analysis reveals (August 21, 2011) -- Over the past 530 million years, the vertebrate lineage branched out from a primitive jawless fish wriggling through Cambrian seas to encompass all the diverse forms of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Now researchers combing through the DNA sequences of vertebrate genomes have identified three distinct periods of evolutionary innovation that accompanied this remarkable diversification. ... > full story

Neuroscientists show activity patterns in fly brain are optimized for memory storage (August 21, 2011) -- A research team has shown large populations of neurons in the brains of living fruit flies responding simultaneously to a variety of odors. Results reveal a portion of the fly brain important in learning and memory responds in a characteristic fashion that helps explain how an association is made between an odor and an experience -- the basis of a memory. ... > full story