ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Saturday, May 14, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Saturday, May 14, 2011

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How do honeybees control their flight speed to avoid obstacles? (May 13, 2011) -- Unlike humans bees have a dorsal visual field that enables them to avoid obstacles above their heads. Until now, it was not known whether this helped them to control their flight speed. Recent research confirms that it does. ... > full story

Discovery of DNA silencing mechanism reveals how plants protect their genome (May 13, 2011) -- Researchers in Japan have clarified a key epigenetic mechanism by which an enzyme in the model plant Arabidopsis protects cells from harmful DNA elements. The finding contributes to advancing our understanding of a broad range of biological processes in both plants and animals, opening the door to applications in cancer therapy and agriculture. ... > full story

On prehistoric supercontinent of Pangaea, latitude and rain dictated where species lived (May 13, 2011) -- More than 200 million years ago, mammals and reptiles lived in their own separate worlds on the supercontinent Pangaea, despite little geographical incentive to do so. Mammals lived in areas of twice-yearly seasonal rainfall; reptiles stayed in areas where rains came just once a year. Mammals lose more water when they excrete, and thus need water-rich environments to survive. ... > full story

Nuclear desalination: Fresh water from waste heat of power plants (May 13, 2011) -- Nuclear desalination uses the excess heat from a nuclear power plant to evaporate sea water and to condense the pure water. A research team from India and Italy argues that despite public concerns, the low energy costs and convenience of this latter process make it the preferred option. ... > full story

Risking one's neck for better grog: Mutinies reveal tipping points for collective unrest (May 13, 2011) -- Films depicting the 1787 mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty show sailors living cheek by jowl, being forced to dance, enduring storm-ridden Cape of Good Hope crossings to satisfy the ship captain's ego and being flogged for trivial reasons. We may not think that these harsh conditions have much relevance today. But sociologists are studying naval records of mutinies as a way to see how modern-day ill-treatment toward subordinates can lead to violence. ... > full story

Last Neanderthals near the Arctic Circle? (May 13, 2011) -- Remains found near the Arctic Circle characteristic of Mousterian culture have recently been dated at over 28,500 years old, which is more than 8,000 years after Neanderthals are thought to have disappeared. This unexpected discovery challenges previous theories. ... > full story

Bacterium found to kill malaria in mosquitoes (May 13, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a bacterium in field-caught mosquitoes that, when present, stops the development of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans. According to the study, the Enterobacter bacterium is part of the naturally occurring microbial flora of the mosquito's gut and kills the parasite by producing reactive oxygen species (or free radical molecules). ... > full story

Pigs susceptible to virulent ebolavirus can transmit the virus to other animals (May 13, 2011) -- A species of ebolavirus from Zaire that is highly virulent in humans can replicate in pigs, cause disease, and be transmitted to animals previously unexposed to the virus, new research shows. ... > full story

Exposing ZnO nanorods to visible light removes microbes, researchers in Thailand show (May 13, 2011) -- The practical use of visible light and zinc oxide nanorods for destroying bacterial water contamination has been successfully demonstrated by researchers in Thailand. ZnO has now been tested under solar light, instead of the traditionally used UV light, suggesting a huge potential for commercial applications. ... > full story

How a flatworm regenerates missing tissues: Pluripotent adult stem cells power planarian regeneration (May 13, 2011) -- Researchers have determined that the planarian flatworm regenerates missing tissues by using pluripotent adult stem cells. Until now, scientists could not determine whether the dividing cells in planarians, called neoblasts, are a mixture of specialized stem cells that each regenerates specific tissues, or if individual neoblasts are pluripotent and able to regenerate all tissues. ... > full story

Irritable bowel syndrome: Common gastrointestinal disorder linked to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning (May 13, 2011) -- Researchers have reported two advances in the understanding of irritable bowel syndrome, the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 30 million people. One study provides further evidence that IBS is linked to an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut. In a separate study, a mathematical model reveals the disease's link to food poisoning and shows that military personnel are at a much higher risk for the disorder than the rest of the population. ... > full story

Ancient gene gives planarians a heads-up in regeneration (May 13, 2011) -- A little-studied gene known as notum plays a key role in the planarian's regeneration decision-making process, according to scientists. At head-facing (anterior) wounds, the gene notum acts as a dimmer switch to dampen the Wnt pathway -- an ancient signaling circuit that operates in all animals -- and promote head regeneration. ... > full story