ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Friday, August 26, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Friday, August 26, 2011

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No bones about it: Eating dried plums helps prevent fractures and osteoporosis, study suggests (August 26, 2011) -- When it comes to improving bone health in postmenopausal women -- and people of all ages, actually -- researchers has found a simple, proactive solution to help prevent fractures and osteoporosis: eating dried plums. ... > full story

Simple way to grow muscle tissue with real muscle structure (August 26, 2011) -- Researchers have found a simple way to grow muscle tissue with a real muscle structure in the laboratory. They found that the muscle cells automatically align themselves if they are subjected to tension in one direction -- this is essential for the ability of the muscle cells to exert a force. ... > full story

Could the Spanish flu devastate us again? (August 26, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new computational method that can predict viral mutation strategies, tracking virus strains and giving researchers the tools they need to better combat these mutations with more precisely formulated vaccines. ... > full story

New model predicts environmental effect of pharmaceutical products (August 26, 2011) -- Most synthetic chemical products used in consumer goods end up unchanged in the environment. Given the risks this could pose for the environment and human health, researchers in Spain have developed a new tool to effectively predict what will happen to current and future pharmaceutical products. ... > full story

'Hidden' differences of chromosome organization become visible (August 25, 2011) -- Why do different species have dissimilar sets of chromosomes? Why do the differentiated species often conserve apparently identical chromosome complements? Furthermore, why, while chromosome rearrangements can considerably change the course of species evolution, do certain variation among individuals and populations of some species persists indefinitely? Such questions motivate researchers to compare chromosomes in closely related species. To understand the nature of chromosome changes in the voles Microtus savii, researchers launched a molecular cytogenetic study. ... > full story

Slim down by targeting the hormone uroguanylin (August 25, 2011) -- The number of people who are obese and suffer one or more of its associated health problems is escalating dramatically. Researchers are seeking to identify new targets for therapeutics that could limit appetite and thereby obesity. Researchers have now uncovered one new potential target (uroguanylin) by studying the molecular control of appetite in mice. ... > full story

Single vaccines to protect against both rabies and Ebola (August 25, 2011) -- Researchers have developed single vaccines to protest against both rabies and the Ebola virus. ... > full story

Darwin's butterflies? Spectacular species radiation in the Caribbean studied with 'DNA barcoding' (August 25, 2011) -- In one of the first taxonomic revisions of Neotropical butterflies that utilizes "DNA barcoding," biologists have uncovered a spectacular degree of evolutionary divergence within the satyrine butterfly genus Calisto. ... > full story

Malaria mosquito is disappearing, but it is not necessarily just good news (August 25, 2011) -- The incidence of malaria in many African countries south of the Sahara is falling rapidly, shows new research. Scientists have discovered that the mosquito carrying the malaria parasite has practically disappeared from villages without organized mosquito control, and they do not know why. Since the researchers can discount mosquito nets, the question is whether the mosquitoes have succumbed to disease, or communities have been using pesticides, or whether the fall is due to the chaotic new precipitation patterns. ... > full story

Irrigation's impacts on global carbon uptake (August 25, 2011) -- Globally, irrigation increases agricultural productivity by an amount roughly equivalent to the entire agricultural output of the US, according to a new study. ... > full story

Interbreeding between modern humans and evolutionary cousins gave healthy immune system boost to human genome, study finds (August 25, 2011) -- For a few years now, scientists have known that humans and their evolutionary cousins had some casual flings, but now it appears that these liaisons led to a more meaningful relationship. Interbreeding between modern humans and close relatives -- including Neanderthals and the recently discovered Denisovans -- has endowed some human gene pools with beneficial versions of immune system genes, researchers report in a new study. ... > full story

Discovery explains why influenza B virus exclusively infects humans: Opens door for new drugs (August 25, 2011) -- Researchers have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight seasonal influenza epidemics caused by the common influenza B strain. Their discovery also helps explain how influenza B is limited to humans, and why it cannot be as virulent as A strains that incorporate new genes from influenza viruses that infect other species. ... > full story

Protein-making machinery in bacteria successfully re-engineered (August 25, 2011) -- Researchers have successfully re-engineered the protein-making machinery in bacteria, a technical tour de force that promises to revolutionize the study and treatment of a variety of diseases. ... > full story

NASA satellites Hurricane Irene almost one-third the size of U.S. east coast (August 25, 2011) -- Hurricane Irene is a major hurricane, and NASA satellite data shows its diameter is now about one-third the length of the U.S. Atlantic coastline. Meanwhile, far in the eastern Atlantic Ocean a tenth tropical depression formed. One satellite image captured both storms and shows the tremendous difference in their size. ... > full story

New sensors streamline detection of estrogenic compounds (August 25, 2011) -- Researchers have engineered new sensors that fluoresce in the presence of compounds that interact with estrogen receptors in human cells. The sensors detect natural or human-made substances that alter estrogenic signaling in the body. ... > full story

Why spiders don't drop off of their threads: Source of spider silk's extreme strength unveiled (August 25, 2011) -- It has five times the tensile strength of steel and is stronger than even the best currently available synthetic fibers: Spider thread. Scientists have now succeeded in unveiling a further secret of silk proteins and the mechanism that imparts spider silk with its strength. ... > full story

Scientists reengineer antibiotic to overcome dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria (August 25, 2011) -- A team of scientists has successfully reengineered an important antibiotic to kill the deadliest antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The compound could one day be used clinically to treat patients with life-threatening and highly resistant bacterial infections. ... > full story

Fast asleep to wide awake: Hibernating bears, predation and pregnancy (August 25, 2011) -- Black bears hibernate, sleeping their way through winter, and who can blame them? New research shows that, despite low heart rates and respiration, hibernating black bears are always alert to danger and ready to act. Additionally, the heart rates of pregnant bears, which give birth during winter months, increase as the pregnancy progresses but return to hibernation levels after the cubs are born. ... > full story

Storing vertebrates in the cloud: Cloud-based data make searching the world’s museum collections easier (August 25, 2011) -- Researchers are taking information about the vertebrate collections in museums around the world and store it in "the cloud" for easy use by researchers and citizen scientists alike. VertNet combines four earlier databases -- for mammals, birds, herps and fish -- and makes them more easily searchable and viewable via powerful applications being developed to manipulate and display cloud-based data. Already, online databases are spurring broad studies of biodiversity change. ... > full story

Cod’s surprising immune system (August 25, 2011) -- Norwegian research has revealed that the immune system of cod is very different from other fish and from mammals -- a discovery that may shed light on the human immune system as well. ... > full story

Caffeine lowers risk of skin cancer: Coffee-based sunscreen might work best (August 25, 2011) -- Researchers strengthen their theory that caffeine guards against skin cancer. Based on research on mice, scientists believe that caffeine applied directly to the skin may ultimately be effective as a topical sunscreeen. ... > full story

NASA satellites detect pothole on road to higher seas (August 25, 2011) -- Like mercury in a thermometer, ocean waters expand as they warm. This, along with melting glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, drives sea levels higher over the long term. For the past 18 years, the U.S./French Jason-1, Jason-2 and Topex/Poseidon spacecraft have been monitoring the gradual rise of the world's ocean in response to global warming. While the rise of the global ocean has been remarkably steady for most of this time, every once in a while, sea level rise hits a speed bump. This past year, it's been more like a pothole: between last summer and this one, global sea level actually fell by about a quarter of an inch, or half a centimeter. ... > full story

Gene study sheds new light on origins of British men (August 25, 2011) -- New genetic evidence reveals that most British men are not descended from immigrant farmers who migrated east 5,000-10,000 years ago -- contrary to previous research. ... > full story

DNA cages 'can survive inside living cells' (August 25, 2011) -- Scientists have shown for the first time that molecular cages made from DNA can enter and survive inside living cells. ... > full story

Pacific walruses studied as sea ice melts (August 25, 2011) -- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center researchers, in cooperation with the Native Village of Point Lay, will attempt to attach 35 satellite radio-tags to walruses on the northwestern Alaska coast in August as part of their ongoing study of how the Pacific walrus are responding to reduced sea ice conditions in late summer and fall. ... > full story

New Jersey researchers have an eye on the science of Hurricane Irene (August 25, 2011) -- While residents along the New Jersey and New York coasts rush to the store for batteries and bottled water, scientists at Stevens Institute of Technology are heading to the laboratory to help predict the impact of Hurricane Irene. ... > full story

E. coli in the countryside: whose problem is it anyway? (August 25, 2011) -- Reducing the risks of catching E. coli O157 in the countryside is everyone's problem. That means we should all take responsibility -- individual residents and visitors, as well as farmers and government -- according to experts. ... > full story

Researchers produce viable bacterium in which one of four DNA bases is replaced by synthetic analog (August 25, 2011) -- An international team of researchers has achieved a world-first by producing a viable bacterium in which one of the four DNA bases has been replaced by a synthetic analog compound. The advantage of the new bacterium is that it would eventually be dependent on this compound, which does not exist in nature, and would therefore be unable to compete or exchange genetic material with natural organisms. ... > full story

Global warming may cause higher loss of biodiversity than previously thought (August 24, 2011) -- If global warming continues as expected, it is estimated that almost a third of all flora and fauna species worldwide could become extinct. Scientists have now discovered that the proportion of actual biodiversity loss should quite clearly be revised upwards: by 2080, more than 80 % of genetic diversity within species may disappear in certain groups of organisms. ... > full story

Researchers identify protein essential in transmission of Ebola virus (August 24, 2011) -- Researchers have used a robotic method to screen tens of thousands of compounds and identified a novel small molecule derived from benzylpiperazine adamantyl diamide that inhibits EboV entry into cells by more than 99 percent. They used the inhibitor as a probe to investigate the EboV infection pathway and found that the target of the inhibitor is the cell protein Niemann-Pick C1. ... > full story

New theory may shed light on dynamics of large-polymer liquids (August 24, 2011) -- A new physics-based theory predicts why entangled polymers are confined to a tube-like region of space and how they respond to applied forces. This advance provides insight into behavior of both synthetic polymers used in plastics and bioploymers like the filaments that gives cells structure. ... > full story

Scientists identify point of entry for deadly Ebola virus (August 24, 2011) -- Using an unusual human cell line, researchers have performed a genetic screen and identified a protein used by the Ebola virus to gain entry into cells and begin replicating. The discovery may offer a new approach for the development of antiviral therapeutics. Ebola virus, the cause of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is one of the deadliest known viruses affecting humans. ... > full story

Climate cycles are driving wars: When El Nino warmth hits, tropical conflicts double (August 24, 2011) -- In the first study of its kind, researchers have linked a natural global climate cycle to periodic increases in warfare. The arrival of El Nino, which every three to seven years boosts temperatures and cuts rainfall, doubles the risk of civil wars across 90 affected tropical countries, and may help account for a fifth of worldwide conflicts during the past half-century, say the authors. ... > full story

A better test for a potato pest (August 24, 2011) -- Scientist have created a new weapon in the war being waged against the potato cyst nematode -- a diagnostic test that identifies the type of nematode infesting a grower's field. ... > full story

Discovery of a 160-million-year-old fossil represents a new milestone in early mammal evolution (August 24, 2011) -- A remarkably well-preserved fossil discovered in northeast China provides new information about the earliest ancestors of most of today's mammal species -- the placental mammals. This fossil represents a new milestone in mammal evolution that was reached 35 million years earlier than previously thought, filling an important gap in the fossil record and helping to calibrate modern, DNA-based methods of dating the evolution. ... > full story

Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents (August 24, 2011) -- The researcher who used chemical sleuthing to uncover what's in scented products now has turned her attention to the air wafting from household laundry vents. Air from laundry machines using the top-selling scented liquid detergent and dryer sheet contains hazardous chemicals, including two that are classified as carcinogens. ... > full story

Gene silencing: Researchers have paved the way for functional analysis of non-protein-coding genes (August 24, 2011) -- Our genome contains numerous genes which do not code for the production of proteins. Many of them are transcribed particularly frequently in cancer cells. Scientists have now found a way to study the function of such genes. ... > full story

Scientists develop new approaches to predict the environmental safety of chemicals (August 24, 2011) -- Environmental researchers have proposed in a new study a different approach to predict the environmental safety of chemicals by using data from other similar chemicals. ... > full story

How many species on Earth? About 8.7 million, new estimate says (August 24, 2011) -- About 8.7 million (give or take 1.3 million) is the new, estimated total number of species on Earth -- the most precise calculation ever offered -- with 6.5 million species on land and 2.2 million in oceans. Announced by the Census of Marine Life, the figure is based on a new analytical technique. The number of species on Earth had been estimated previously at 3 million to 100 million. ... > full story

Newfound hijacked proteins linked to salmonella virulence (August 24, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella have a sneaky way of making minor alterations to their genes to boost their chances for infection. ... > full story

Magnitude-5.8 earthquake strikes U.S. National Capital Area (August 24, 2011) -- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the National Capital Area on Tuesday, August 23, at 1:51p.m. (EDT), causing moderate shaking and potentially significant damage, and was felt throughout Northern Virginia and neighboring areas. No casualties are expected. The earthquake occurred near Louisa and Mineral, Va., approximately 100 miles southwest of Washington, DC. It was a shallow earthquake, and shaking was recorded all along the Appalachians, from Georgia to New England. ... > full story

Afghan patients a common source of drug-resistant bacteria, study finds (August 24, 2011) -- Afghan patients treated at a US military hospital in Afghanistan often carry multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, according to a new report. The findings underscore the need for effective infection control measures at deployed hospitals where both soldiers and local patients are treated, the study's authors say. ... > full story

Human gait could soon power portable electronics (August 24, 2011) -- In a new paper, researchers describe a new energy-harvesting technology that promises to dramatically reduce our dependence on batteries and instead capture the energy of human motion to power portable electronics. ... > full story

Diet that combines cholesterol-lowering foods results in greater decrease in LDL than low-saturated fat diet, study finds (August 24, 2011) -- Persons with high cholesterol who received counseling regarding a diet that combined cholesterol-lowering foods such as soy protein, nuts and plant sterols over six months experienced a greater reduction in their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than individuals who received advice on a low-saturated fat diet, according to a new study. ... > full story

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