ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Friday, June 3, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Friday, June 3, 2011

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Mathematical models provide insights into cholera vaccination strategies for Zimbabwe (June 3, 2011) -- Mathematical models analyzing how a cholera outbreak spread in Zimbabwe are providing new insights into the most effective vaccination strategies for preventing future cholera epidemics, according to researchers. ... > full story

Solar inverters: Losses are cut in half (June 3, 2011) -- A switching trick makes it possible to cut the losses of a series-production inverter in half and increase the efficiency from 96 to 98 percent. The new technology makes it possible to achieve a world-record efficiency of more than 99 percent. ... > full story

Evolutionary biologist's work may one day help with chronic diseases: New understanding of environmental 'fitness' (June 2, 2011) -- Working to better predict general patterns of evolution, a biologist and his team have discovered some surprising things about gene mutations that might one day make it possible to predict the progression of chronic disease. ... > full story

Parental conflict in plants: Maternal factors silence paternal genes (June 2, 2011) -- In flowering plants, the beginning of embryogenesis is almost exclusively governed by maternal gene activity. Maternal factors regulate the development of the embryo and silence paternal genes during early stages of development. This finding was obtained using next generation sequencing technology. This newly uncovered mechanism may be involved in the maintenance of species boundaries and could play an important role in the development of novel crop varieties. ... > full story

Small change makes a big difference for ion channels (June 2, 2011) -- Using a high-resolution single-molecule study technique, researchers have seen the very subtle differences between two branches of an important family of neurotransmitter-gated ion channels. In cation-selective channels, basic amino acid residues lining the channel seem to be tucked into the protein structure and remain neutral rather than positively charged. ... > full story

EHEC outbreak: Rare strain of E. coli unknown in previous outbreaks (June 2, 2011) -- The strain of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) 0104:H4 isolated from cases in the EHEC infection outbreak in Germany is a rare one, seen in humans before, but never in an EHEC outbreak. The finding has been confirmed by the World Health Organization. ... > full story

Climate projections don't accurately reflect soil carbon release (June 2, 2011) -- A new study concludes that models may be predicting releases of atmospheric carbon dioxide that are either too high or too low, depending on the region, because they don't adequately reflect variable temperatures that can affect the amount of carbon released from soil. Some global climate models may be flawed as a result. ... > full story

Microscopic worms could help open up travel into deep space (June 2, 2011) -- A space flight by millions of microscopic worms could help us overcome the numerous threats posed to human health by space travel. The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) have also given experts an insight into how to block muscle degradation in the sick and elderly. ... > full story

New type of MRSA in hospitalized patients in Ireland probably of animal origin, new research finds (June 2, 2011) -- A distinctly new type of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is not detected by traditional genetic screening methods has been discovered in patients in Irish hospitals according to new research. These findings provide significant insights into how new MRSA strains emerge and highlight the potential for the transmission of infectious agents from animals to humans. ... > full story

Deadly bacteria may mimic human proteins to evolve antibiotic resistance (June 2, 2011) -- Deadly bacteria may be evolving antibiotic resistance by mimicking human proteins, according to a new study. ... > full story

3-D model mimics volcanic explosions (June 2, 2011) -- A 3-D model of a volcanic explosion, based on the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state, may enhance our understanding of how some volcanic explosions occur and help identification of blast zones for potentially dangerous locations, according volcanologists. ... > full story

Keeping warm: Coordinated movements in a penguin huddle (June 2, 2011) -- To survive temperatures below -50 ° C and gale-force winds above 180 km/h during the Antarctic winter, Emperor penguins form tightly packed huddles and -- as has recently been discovered -- the penguins actually coordinate their movements to give all members of the huddle a chance to warm up. ... > full story

What odors throw off mosquitoes? New findings hold big promise for fight against mosquito-borne diseases (June 2, 2011) -- To find human hosts to bite and spread disease, mosquitoes use exhaled carbon dioxide as a vital cue. Entomologists have identified three classes of volatile odor molecules that can severely impair, if not completely disrupt, the mosquitoes' carbon dioxide detection machinery. The breakthrough research covers three of the deadliest species of mosquitoes: those that spread malaria; dengue and yellow fever; and filariasis and West Nile virus. ... > full story

MRSA transmission may be occurring in fire stations, study suggests (June 2, 2011) -- MRSA transmission may be occurring in fire stations, according to a new study. The purpose of the study was to determine potential areas within the fire stations that were contaminated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and characterize the isolates to determine if they were related to hospital (HA-MRSA) and/or community (CA-MRSA) strains. ... > full story

Honeysuckle extract: Natural sunblock for UV-protective clothing (June 2, 2011) -- With those months of blazing summer sunshine head, scientists are reporting that an extract of the honeysuckle plant could make a highly effective natural coating for clothing designed to protect people from exposure to potentially harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. ... > full story

With global warming, Arctic access will diminish by land but improve by sea (June 2, 2011) -- Global warming over the next 40 years will cut through the Arctic transportation networks like a double-edged sword, limiting access by land and vastly increasing it by sea, predicts a new study by geographers. ... > full story

Melting glaciers may affect ocean currents (June 1, 2011) -- Scientists have used a computer climate model to study how freshwater entering the oceans at the end of the penultimate Ice Age 140,000 years ago affected the parts of the ocean currents that control climate. They say a future ice sheet collapse, which might happen in Antarctica or Greenland, would be likely to have climatic consequences. ... > full story

Diversity and value of Alaska's coastal forests (June 1, 2011) -- A new report presents summaries of current southeast and south-central Alaska forest topics, ranging from carbon and forest products to lichens and invasive species. ... > full story

Bacterial protein secreting sticky appendages: Atomic-level images suggest new targets for antibacterial drugs (June 1, 2011) -- New atomic-level "snapshots" reveal details of how bacteria such as E. coli produce and secrete sticky appendages called pili, which help the microbes attach to and infect human cells. These crystal structures unravel a complex choreography of protein-protein interactions that will aid in the design of new antibacterial drugs. ... > full story

Safety of nanoparticles in food crops is still unclear (June 1, 2011) -- With the curtain about to rise on a much-anticipated new era of "nanoagriculture" -- using nanotechnology to boost the productivity of plants for food, fuel, and other uses -- scientists are reporting a huge gap in knowledge about the effects of nanoparticles on corn, tomatoes, rice and other food crops. ... > full story

New map reveals giant fjords beneath East Antarctic ice sheet (June 1, 2011) -- Scientists have used ice-penetrating radar to create the first high-resolution topographic map of one of the last uncharted regions of Earth, the Aurora Subglacial Basin, an immense ice-buried lowland in East Antarctica. The map will help improve computer simulations of the past and future Antarctic ice sheet and its potential impact on global sea level. ... > full story

Thomas Edison also invented the concrete house, researcher says (June 1, 2011) -- Afficionados of modern poured-concrete design were in for a rude awakening last month when they heard Matt Burgermaster's presentation at the 64th annual meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians. He illustrated how Thomas Edison invented and patented in 1917 an innovative construction system to mass produce prefabricated and seamless concrete houses. Typically most people associate this style of architectural design and type of building technology with the European avant-garde of the early 20th century. ... > full story

Ancient hominid males stayed home while females roamed, study finds (June 1, 2011) -- The males of two bipedal hominid species that roamed the South African savanna more than a million years ago were stay-at-home kind of guys when compared to the gadabout gals, according to a new study. ... > full story

Link between environment and genetics in triggering multiple sclerosis: Discovery points to personalized treatments (June 1, 2011) -- Environmental and inherited risk factors associated with multiple sclerosis -- previously poorly understood and not known to be connected -- converge to alter a critical cellular function linked to the chronic neurologic disease, researchers have discovered. ... > full story

Biodegradable products may be bad for the environment (June 1, 2011) -- New research shows that so-called biodegradable products are likely doing more harm than good in landfills, because they are releasing a powerful greenhouse gas as they break down. ... > full story

Blueberry's effects on cholesterol examined in lab animal study (June 1, 2011) -- Laboratory hamsters that were fed rations spiked with blueberry peels and other blueberry-juice-processing leftovers had better cholesterol health than hamsters whose rations weren't enhanced with blueberries, according to a new study. ... > full story

New way to help nanoscale engineers choose self-assembling proteins (June 1, 2011) -- Engineering structures on the smallest possible scales -- using molecules and individual atoms as building blocks -- is both physically and conceptually challenging. An interdisciplinary team of researchers has now developed a method of computationally selecting the best of these blocks, drawing inspiration from the similar behavior of proteins in making biological structures. ... > full story

New NASA map reveals tropical forest carbon storage (June 1, 2011) -- A NASA-led research team has used a variety of NASA satellite data to create the most precise map ever produced depicting the amount and location of carbon stored in Earth's tropical forests. The data are expected to provide a baseline for ongoing carbon monitoring and research and serve as a useful resource for managing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. ... > full story

Dangerous bacteria found on cell phones of hospital patients (June 1, 2011) -- Cell phones used by patients and their visitors were twice as likely to contain potentially dangerous bacteria as those of health-care workers, according to a new study. ... > full story

Antibodies successful in treatment of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome from enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (June 1, 2011) -- A team of physicians from Germany, Canada, and France reports on the successful treatment of three young children who were suffering from a severe hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) after an infection with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). The infections occurred in 2010. EHEC are the bacteria that cause the current wave of infections that have already claimed ten lives in Germany. The number of suspected and confirmed cases of EHEC has now reached 700. ... > full story

New endemic beetles discovered in Iberian Peninsula (June 1, 2011) -- A European research team has described two new beetle species measuring two millimeters in length. The beetles were found in streams in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees mountains (from Gipuzkoa to Girona) and in the Sierra de la Demanda mountains (Burgos). Experts had previously thought that they belonged to another European species. ... > full story

Climate change allows invasive weed to outcompete local species (June 1, 2011) -- Yellow starthistle already causes millions of dollars in damage to pastures in western states each year, and as climate changes, land managers can expect the problem with that weed and others to escalate. When exposed to increased carbon dioxide, precipitation, nitrogen and temperature -- all expected results of climate change -- yellow starthistle in some cases grew to six times its normal size while the other grassland species remained relatively unchanged, according to a new study. ... > full story

Diagnosing stomach disease in pet reptiles (May 31, 2011) -- A popular "get well" card shows a raccoon saying to a snake, "You wouldn't get these stomach aches if you chewed your food properly." Vets know, however, that indigestion in snakes and other reptiles often results not from swallowing food whole but from a parasitic infection. The gastrointestinal disease cryptosporidiosis represents a particularly severe problem. Unfortunately, though, diagnosis is extremely difficult. Scientists have now developed a test for the identification of the cryptosporidia that cause the condition, enabling them to assess its prevalence in pet lizards and snakes. ... > full story

Scientists crack the spiders' web code (May 31, 2011) -- Decorative white silk crosses are an ingenious tactic used by orb-weaving spiders to protect their webs from damage, a new study has revealed. ... > full story

Code green: Energy-efficient programming to curb computers' power use (May 31, 2011) -- A new system called EnerJ helps computer programmers go green, letting them cut a program's energy consumption by up to 50 percent. ... > full story

Researchers solve mammoth evolutionary puzzle: The woollies weren't picky, happy to interbreed (May 31, 2011) -- A DNA-based study sheds new light on the complex evolutionary history of the woolly mammoth, suggesting it mated with a completely different and much larger species. The research found the woolly mammoth, which lived in the cold climate of the Arctic tundra, interbred with the Columbian mammoth, which preferred the more temperate regions of North America and was some 25 percent larger. ... > full story

Most biologically rich island in Southern Ocean (May 31, 2011) -- The first comprehensive study of sea creatures around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia reveals a region that is richer in biodiversity than even many tropical sites, such as the Galapagos Islands. The study provides an important benchmark to monitor how these species will respond to future environmental change. ... > full story

'E-waste pollution' a threat to human health, new research suggests (May 31, 2011) -- In addition to its damaging effect on the environment and its illegal smuggling into developing countries, researchers have now linked e-waste to adverse effects on human health, such as inflammation and oxidative stress -- precursors to cardiovascular disease, DNA damage and possibly cancer. ... > full story

Insights into the motion of dogs (May 31, 2011) -- How does a dog run? Until recently, even experts found it nearly impossible to answer this simple sounding question. Zoologists have now presented the results of the most extensive study worldwide concerning the motion of dogs and offered new insights into their course of movement. ... > full story

How plants control the formation of wood cells (May 31, 2011) -- An international group led by researchers in Finland has discovered the genetic process that controls the development of wood cells in the roots of plants. Xylem (wood cells) is the vascular tissue that transports water and nutrients upward from the root, also contributing to the formation of the woody element in the stem. The work presents a potential method for engineering plants to produce more wood. ... > full story

Climate played big role in Vikings' disappearance from Greenland (May 31, 2011) -- Greenland's early Viking settlers were subjected to rapidly changing climate. Temperatures plunged several degrees in a span of decades, according to researchers. A reconstruction of 5,600 years of climate history from lakes near the Norse settlement in western Greenland also shows how climate affected the Dorset and Saqqaq cultures. ... > full story

Sweet defence against lethal bacteria: Synthesizing a potential vaccine candidate for an antibiotic-resistant pathogen (May 31, 2011) -- There is now a promising vaccine candidate for combating the pathogen which causes one of the most common and dangerous hospital infections. An international team of scientists has developed a vaccine based on a carbohydrate against the Clostridium difficile bacterium, which is known to cause serious gastrointestinal diseases mainly in hospitals. The sugar-based vaccine elicited a specific and effective immune response in mice. Moreover, the scientists have also discovered strong indications that the substance can stimulate the human immune system to form antibodies against the bacterium. ... > full story

Japan earthquake appears to increase quake risk elsewhere in the country (May 31, 2011) -- Japan's recent magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which triggered a devastating tsunami, relieved stress along part of the quake fault but also has contributed to the build up of stress in other areas, putting some of the country at risk for up to years of sizeable aftershocks and perhaps new main shocks, scientists say. ... > full story

New mouse model may lead to new therapies for degenerative diseases (May 31, 2011) -- Researchers have engineered a new mouse that that can be used for research on degenerative disease. ... > full story

Global warming may increase the capacity of trees to store carbon (May 31, 2011) -- One helpful action anyone can take in response to global warming is to plant trees and preserve forests. Trees and plants capture carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, thereby removing the most abundant greenhouse gas from the atmosphere and storing some of it in their woody tissue. New research shows that global warming may affect the capacity of trees to store carbon by altering the forest nitrogen cycling. A field experiment showed that warmer temperatures stimulated the gain of carbon stored in trees as woody tissue. ... > full story

Dietary inorganic nitrate may reduce heart dysfunction caused by powerful anti-cancer drug (May 31, 2011) -- Researchers have found that nutrient supplementation, like the kind that is found in leafy greens, spinach and lettuce, may reduce the damage to the heart caused by a powerful anti-cancer drug. ... > full story

Mating rivalry among furred and feathered: Variety is spice of life (May 31, 2011) -- Birds do it. Bees do it. Fish, lobsters, frogs and lizards do it, too. But when it comes to securing a mate in the animal world, variety is literally the spice of life. A group of scientists has found flexibility in mating rituals is the key to reproductive success when males outnumber females. ... > full story

Cover crop seeder pulls triple duty for small farms (May 31, 2011) -- Farmers using a cover crop seeder developed by agricultural scientists may eventually need only a single trip across the field to accomplish what takes most farmers three passes and several pieces of equipment to do. ... > full story