ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Friday, September 16, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Friday, September 16, 2011

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Ancient crocodile competed with Titanoboa, world's largest snake, for food, paleontologists discover (September 16, 2011) -- Did an ancient crocodile relative give the world's largest snake a run for its money? In a new study, researchers describe a new 20-foot extinct species discovered in the same Colombian coal mine with Titanoboa, the world's largest snake. The findings help scientists better understand the diversity of animals that occupied the oldest known rainforest ecosystem, which had higher temperatures than today, and could be useful for understanding the impacts of a warmer climate in the future. ... > full story

An apple or pear a day may keep strokes away (September 16, 2011) -- Eating apples and pears may help prevent stroke, according to a new study. While high consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with lower stroke risk, a Dutch study found that eating fruit and vegetables with white edible portions was associated with a 52 percent lower stroke risk. Apples and pears were the majority of the white fruits and vegetables consumed in the study. ... > full story

New method for detecting lung cancer unveiled (September 16, 2011) -- When lung cancer strikes, it often spreads silently into more advanced stages before being detected. In a new article, biological engineers and medical scientists reveal how their discovery could provide a much earlier warning signal. ... > full story

New rapid test tells difference between bacterial and viral infections (September 16, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of a rapid and accurate test to tell the difference between bacterial and viral infections. Those common afflictions often have similar symptoms but vastly different treatments -- antibiotics work for bacterial infections but not for viruses. ... > full story

NASA Mars research helps find buried water on Earth (September 15, 2011) -- A NASA-led team has used radar sounding technology developed to explore the subsurface of Mars to create high-resolution maps of freshwater aquifers buried deep beneath an Earth desert, in the first use of airborne sounding radar for aquifer mapping. ... > full story

Meteor likely cause of Southwest U.S. light show (September 15, 2011) -- A meteor is the most probable cause of a bright, colorful fireball witnessed by people in a wide swath of the southwestern United States, according to NASA. ... > full story

When ticks transmit dangerous pathogens: Local antibiotic therapy stops Lyme disease (September 15, 2011) -- Blood-sucking ticks are not just a nuisance, they can also transmit dangerous diseases. One of them is Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia, and requires a course of treatment with antibiotics lasting several weeks. Researchers have come up with a quicker alternative. ... > full story

Carbon cycle reaches Earth's lower mantle: Evidence of carbon cycle found in 'superdeep' diamonds From Brazil (September 15, 2011) -- The carbon cycle, upon which most living things depend, reaches much deeper into Earth than generally supposed -- all the way to the lower mantle, researchers report. ... > full story

New model for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: Mouse model that replicates human OCD can point to more effective treatments (September 15, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new model of obsessive-compulsive disorder that mirrors both symptoms of the disease and the timing of its treatment in humans. ... > full story

Team discovers treatable mechanism responsible for often deadly response to flu (September 15, 2011) -- Researchers have found a novel mechanism by which certain viruses such as influenza trigger a type of immune reaction that can severely sicken or kill those infected. ... > full story

Salmon and other fish predators rely on 'no guts, no glory' survival tactic (September 15, 2011) -- The phrase "no guts, no glory" doesn't just apply to athletes who are striving to excel. Fish predators take the adage literally, by having up to three times the "gut" capacity they need so they can "glory" when prey is abundant. ... > full story

Inner workings of virus responsible for rare skin cancer (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists have begun to uncover how the virus that causes most Merkel cell carcinoma -- a rare and aggressive skin cancer -- operates, meaning that a rational chemotherapeutic target for this cancer could be developed in the near future. ... > full story

Human-chimp evolutionary divergence: Methylation and gene sequence co-evolved, study suggests (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists published the first quantitative evidence supporting the notion that genome-wide "bookmarking" of DNA with methyl molecules -- a process called methylation -- and underlying DNA sequences have co-evolved in a kind of molecular slow-dance over the 6 million years since humans and chimps diverged from a common ancestor. ... > full story

Arctic ground squirrels muscle up to hunker down (September 15, 2011) -- When Arctic ground squirrels are getting ready to hibernate they don't just get fat -- they pack on muscle at a rate that would make a bodybuilder jealous. And they do it without suffering the harmful effects that high levels of testosterone and other anabolic steroids usually cause. Researchers have started to untangle how the squirrels manage it, and their results could someday have implications for human health. ... > full story

Scientists take first step towards creating 'inorganic life' (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists in Scotland say they have taken their first tentative steps towards creating 'life' from inorganic chemicals potentially defining the new area of 'inorganic biology'. ... > full story

Woolly mammoth's secrets for shrugging off cold points toward new artificial blood for humans (September 15, 2011) -- The blood from woolly mammoths -- those extinct elephant-like creatures that roamed Earth in pre-historic times -- is helping scientists develop new blood products for modern medical procedures that involve reducing patients' body temperature. ... > full story

Researchers analyze the evolving human relationship with fire (September 15, 2011) -- Humanity's relationship to fire -- including wildfires, burning of fossil fuels, controlled burns and human-caused fire -- is the focus of a report by an international team of scientists. ... > full story

'Super-spaghetti' with heart-healthy label now possible (September 15, 2011) -- Consumers could soon see packages of pasta labeled 'good source of dietary fiber' and 'may reduce the risk of heart disease' thanks to the development of a new genre of pasta made with barley -- a grain famous for giving beer its characteristic strength and flavor. ... > full story

New technology for recovering valuable minerals from waste rock (September 15, 2011) -- Researchers report discovery of a completely new technology for more efficiently separating gold, silver, copper, and other valuable materials from rock and ore. The process uses nanoparticles to latch onto those materials and attach them to air bubbles in a flotation machine. ... > full story

'Synthetic' chromosome permits rapid, on-demand 'evolution' of yeast; Artificial system has built-in diversity generator (September 15, 2011) -- In the quest to understand genomes -- how they're built, how they're organized and what makes them work -- a team of researchers has engineered from scratch a computer-designed yeast chromosome and incorporated into their creation a new system that lets scientists intentionally rearrange the yeast's genetic material. ... > full story

Researchers map the global spread of drug-resistant influenza (September 15, 2011) -- In the new movie "Contagion," fictional health experts scramble to get ahead of a flu-like pandemic as a drug-resistant virus quickly spreads, killing millions of people within days after they contract the illness. Although the film isn't based entirely on reality, it's not exactly science fiction, either. In a new study, researchers explain how seasonal H1N1 influenza became resistant to oseltamivir, otherwise known as Tamiflu, the most widely used antiviral agent for treating and preventing flu. The scientists say that a combination of genetic mutations and human migration through air travel can lead to the rapid global spread of drug-resistant strains. ... > full story

Hitchhiking snails fly from ocean to ocean (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists report that snails successfully crossed Central America, long considered an impenetrable barrier to marine organisms, twice in the past million years -- both times probably by flying across Mexico, stuck to the legs or riding on the bellies of shorebirds and introducing new genes that contribute to the marine biodiversity on each coast. ... > full story

Researchers develop mouse genetic blueprint; Mouse study drives forward understanding of human biology (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists have decoded and compared the genome sequence of 17 mouse strains, developing a valuable mouse genetic blueprint that will accelerate future research and understanding of human genetics. The team found an astonishing 56.7 million SNPs among the strains, in addition to other more complex differences, and used these sequence differences to uncover genetic associations with more than 700 biological differences, including markers for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. ... > full story

Water evaporated from trees cools global climate, researchers find (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists have long debated about the impact on global climate of water evaporated from vegetation. New research concludes that evaporated water helps cool the earth as a whole, not just the local area of evaporation, demonstrating that evaporation of water from trees and lakes could have a cooling effect on the entire atmosphere. These findings have major implications for land-use decision making. ... > full story

Arctic sea ice reaches minimum 2011 extent, making it second lowest in satellite record (September 15, 2011) -- The blanket of sea ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean appears to have reached its lowest extent for 2011, the second lowest recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to the University of Colorado Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center. ... > full story

Mouse genome sequences reveal variability, complex evolutionary history (September 15, 2011) -- A new paper, building on recent advances in sequencing capability, now reports the complete genomes of 17 different strains of mice, creating an unparalleled genetic resource that will aid studies ranging from human disease to evolution. ... > full story

Journey to the lower mantle and back: Minerals from ocean-floor rocks are found in ultra-deep diamonds (September 15, 2011) -- Mineral inclusions discovered in diamonds prove that surface rocks can be subducted into the deep part of the Earth's mantle. The isotopic composition of the diamonds confirms that recycling of crustal materials, including carbon, extends into the lower mantle. ... > full story

Diamonds show depth extent of Earth's carbon cycle (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists have speculated that Earth's carbon cycle extends into the deep Earth, but until now there has been no direct evidence. Researchers analyzed diamonds that originated from the lower mantle and erupted to the surface. Analysis shows compositions consistent with the mineralogy of oceanic crust. This finding is the first direct evidence that slabs of oceanic crust sank into the lower mantle and that material, including carbon, is cycled between Earth's surface and deep interior. ... > full story

Avoiding fatal responses to flu infection (September 15, 2011) -- Most of the time, being ill with the flu is little more than a nuisance. Other times, it can spark an exaggerated immune response and turn deadly. Researchers have now traced the origins of this severe immune response -- called a cytokine storm -- to its source. ... > full story

In rapidly warming seas, some fish lose while others gain (September 15, 2011) -- Rising temperatures in the northeast Atlantic Ocean have already led to major shifts in the abundance of commercially important fish stocks. That's according to a new report that is the first to consider the absolute abundance of species as opposed to their presence or absence alone. ... > full story

A call to arms for synthetic biology (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists have replaced all of the DNA in the arm of a yeast chromosome with computer-designed, synthetically produced DNA that is structurally distinct from its original DNA to produce a healthy yeast cell. ... > full story

Scorched Earth: The past, present and future of human influences on wildfires (September 15, 2011) -- Fires have continuously occurred on Earth for at least the last 400 million years. But since the 1970s, the frequency of wildfires has increased at least four-fold, and the total size of burn areas has increased at least six-fold in the western United States alone. Steadily rising, the US's bill for fighting wildfires now totals .5 billion per year. ... > full story

Strange vent-fellows: Chemosynthetic shrimp, tubeworms together for first time at hydrothermal vent (September 14, 2011) -- Ocean explorers observed two species of marine life scientists believe have never before been seen together at a hydrothermal vent -- chemosynthetic shrimp and tubeworms. They also observed the first known live tubeworms ever seen at a hydrothermal vent in Atlantic waters. ... > full story

Accidental sea turtle deaths drop 90 percent in U.S. fisheries; Improvements in fishing equipment seem to be preventing lethal 'bycatch' (September 14, 2011) -- The number of sea turtles accidentally caught and killed in fishing gear in United States coastal waters has declined by an estimated 90 percent since 1990, according to a new study by researchers at Duke University Project GloBAL and Conservation International. ... > full story

Air pollution caused by ships plummets when vessels shift to cleaner, low-sulfur fuels, study finds (September 14, 2011) -- New clean fuel regulations in California and voluntary slowdowns by shipping companies substantially reduce air pollution caused by near-shore ships, according to a new study. ... > full story

Breakthrough opens new avenues for hep C vaccine (September 14, 2011) -- Hopes for an effective vaccine and treatment against the potentially fatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) have received a major boost following the discovery of two 'Achilles' heels' within the virus. ... > full story

'Synthetic biology' could replace oil for chemical industry (September 14, 2011) -- Vats of blue-green algae could one day replace oil wells in producing raw materials for the chemical industry, a chemist predicts. ... > full story

New invention unravels mystery of protein folding (September 14, 2011) -- A new invention able to quickly predict three-dimensional structure of protein could have huge implications for drug discovery and human health. ... > full story

Arctic sea ice nears minimum extent (September 14, 2011) -- In the last few days, the decline in Arctic sea ice extent has slowed. New data show Arctic sea ice extent currently at the second-lowest levels in the satellite record. ... > full story

Novel software used in first global camera trap mammal study (September 14, 2011) -- A novel software system has been used in the first global camera trap study of mammals. The research emphasizes the importance of protected areas to ensure the diversity and survival of a wide range of animal populations. ... > full story

Study of metabolites reveals health implications from small molecules (September 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered 37 new genetic variants associated with concentrations of metabolites in the blood: many of these match variants associated with diseases such as kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. The team looked for genetic influences on levels of more than 250 compounds in blood, including lipids, sugars, and amino acids. The effects of variants discovered in genome-wide association analyses can be modest and biological understanding poor: this new approach can overcome these problems. ... > full story

Messy better than neat: Tangled coat of nanowires increases solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light (September 14, 2011) -- Sometimes neatness may not be necessary. Researchers have demonstrated that a tangled coating of randomly positioned nanowires can increase solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light. ... > full story

Crashes common among helicopters used in oil and gas operations, study finds (September 14, 2011) -- A new study finds that helicopters that service the drilling platforms and vessels in the Gulf of Mexico crash on average more than six times per year resulting in an average of five deaths per year. ... > full story

Double jeopardy: Building codes may underestimate risks due to multiple hazards (September 14, 2011) -- As large parts of the United States recover from nature's one-two punch -- an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene -- building researchers warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes. ... > full story

High-fat diet and lack of enzyme can lead to heart disease in mice (September 14, 2011) -- It's no secret that a high-fat diet isn't healthy. Now researchers have discovered a molecular clue as to precisely why that is. Mice lacking a gene-expression-controlling enzyme fed a high-fat diet experience rapid thickening of the heart muscle and heart failure. This link -- at least in mice -- has implications for people on so-called Western diets and combating heart disease. Modulating the enzyme's activity could be a new pharmaceutical target. ... > full story

Primary component in curry spice kicks off cancer-killing mechanisms in human saliva (September 14, 2011) -- Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric used in curry, suppresses a cell signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer, according to a pilot study using human saliva. ... > full story

In immune cells, super-resolution imaging reveals natural killers' M.O. (September 14, 2011) -- Making use of a new "super resolution" microscope that provides sharp images at extremely small scales, scientists have achieved unprecedented views of the immune system in action. The new tool, a stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope, shows how granules from natural killer cells pass through openings in dynamic cell structures to destroy their targets: tumor cells and cells infected by viruses. ... > full story

Team finds stable RNA nano-scaffold within virus core (September 14, 2011) -- With the discovery of a RNA nano-scaffold that remains unusually stable in the body, researchers have overcome another barrier to the development of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology. The nanoparticle, constructed from a three-way junction (3WJ) motif of packaging RNA (pRNA) molecules, can serve as a platform for building larger, multifunctional nanoparticles -- which can then be injected into the body to deliver therapeutics to targeted cells. ... > full story

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