ScienceDaily Environment Headlines -- for Monday, June 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Environment Headlines

for Monday, June 6, 2011

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Major step in improving forecasts of weather extremes such as floods and droughts (June 6, 2011) -- Moisture and heat fluctuations from the land surface to the atmosphere form a critical nexus between surface hydrology and atmospheric processes, especially those relevant to rainfall. While current theory has suggested that soil moisture has had a positive impact on precipitation, there have been very few large-scale observations of this. Now, a team of researchers has demonstrated that evaporation from the land surface is able to modify summertime rainfall east of the Mississippi and in the monsoonal region in the southern U.S. and Mexico. ... > full story

Big city holds empty promise for bats (June 6, 2011) -- In the treeless, flat Prairie, you'd think a city would provide a good home for bats who like to snuggle up and roost in trees and buildings. But researchers made the surprising discovery that the urban landscape is far from ideal for these animals. ... > full story

It all depends on the coffee: The eco-balance of coffee capsules (June 6, 2011) -- Exactly how environmentally friendly are the various capsule systems and other ways of making coffee? Swiss researchers have taken a close look at the ecological balances of the various systems currently in use. The result: it all depends on the contents. The choice of coffee has a much stronger effect on the environmental friendliness than the capsule system, type of machine or method of preparation. ... > full story

Early light refines brain's circuitry for vision: Studies show importance of visual stimulation in wiring up species' brains to see (June 6, 2011) -- Creatures are not born hardwired to see. Instead, they depend on electrical activity in the retina to refine the complex circuits that process visual information. Two new studies in different species using different techniques show how nascent animal brains use light to wire up or construct their central vision system. ... > full story

What the margins of Spain's Ebro river basin looked like 6 million years ago (June 6, 2011) -- A Spanish research team, using 3-D reflection seismology, has for the first time mapped the geomorphological features of the Ebro river basin 5 to 6 million years ago. The images obtained show that the surface analyzed is today 2.5 or 3 kilometres below the sea bed. ... > full story

New study provides global analysis of seagrass extinction risk (June 5, 2011) -- Scientists have completed the first-ever study of the risk of extinction for individual seagrass species around the world. The new study shows that 10 of the 72 known seagrass species (14 percent) are at an elevated risk of extinction, while 3 species qualify as endangered. ... > full story

Flaxseed no cure for hot flashes during breast cancer or menopause, study finds (June 5, 2011) -- Flaxseed provides no benefit in easing hot flashes among breast cancer patients and postmenopausal women, according to a new study. ... > full story

Noise research to combat 'wind turbine syndrome' (June 5, 2011) -- Australian acoustics researchers are investigating the causes of wind turbine noise with the aim of making them quieter and solving "wind turbine syndrome." ... > full story

Developing advanced biofuels: Researchers counteract biofuel toxicity in microbes (June 5, 2011) -- Researchers have created a library of microbial efflux pumps that reduce toxicity and boost production of biofuels in engineered strains of microbes. This library and the bioprospecting strategy behind it should serve as valuable new tools for the development of advanced biofuels and other areas of biotechnology as well. ... > full story

Greenhouse gas reduction strategy may be safe for soil animals (June 5, 2011) -- A new study has found that an emerging tool for combating climate change may cause less harm to some soil animals than initial studies suggested. ... > full story

DNA can discern between two quantum states, research shows (June 4, 2011) -- Do the principles of quantum mechanics apply to biological systems? Until now, both biologists and physicists have considered quantum systems and biological molecules to be like apples and oranges. But new research shows that a biological molecule -- DNA -- can discern between quantum states known as spin. ... > full story

Eating dirt can be good for the belly, researchers find (June 4, 2011) -- Most of us never considered eating the mud pies we made as kids, but for many people all over the world, dining on dirt is nothing out of the ordinary. Now an extensive meta-analysis helps explain why. ... > full story

Again, but faster! The spectacular courtship dance of a tiny bird (June 4, 2011) -- A small male bird called a golden-collared manakin performs a difficult, elaborate, physically demanding courtship dance. In new research, scientists report that female golden-collared manakins select mates based on subtle differences in motor performance during these courtship dances. ... > full story

Coping with climate change: Can we predict which species will be able to move far or fast enough to adapt? (June 4, 2011) -- As global temperatures rise, suitable sites for many plants and animals are shifting to cooler and higher ground. Can we predict which species will be able to move far or fast enough to keep up? A new study says the secrets to success in the face of a warming world are still elusive. ... > full story

Ocean acidification leaves clownfish deaf to predators (June 4, 2011) -- Baby clownfish use hearing to detect and avoid predator-rich coral reefs during the daytime, but new research demonstrates that ocean acidification could threaten this crucial behavior within the next few decades. ... > full story

From pre-gut cells to glory: Researchers discover a genomic control system that regulates gut formation in sea-urchin embryos (June 4, 2011) -- For all animals, development begins with the embryo. It is here that uniform cells divide and diversify, and blueprints are laid for structures, like skeletal and digestive systems. Although biologists have known for some time that signaling processes exist, there has not been a clear framework explanation of how it all comes together. Now, a research team has outlined exactly how specific sets of cells in sea-urchin embryos differentiate to become the endoderm. ... > full story

Similarities cause protein misfolding (June 4, 2011) -- A large number of illnesses stem from misfolded proteins, molecules composed of amino acids. Researchers have now studied protein misfolding using a special spectroscopic technique. Misfolding is more frequent if the sequence of the amino acids in the neighboring protein domains is very similar. ... > full story

Helping the aged during natural disasters (June 4, 2011) -- When earthquake, tsunami, tornado or flood strike, among the most vulnerable group are the elderly. Researchers in New Zealand suggest that emergency response plans must take into account the age-related needs of adults with regards to the personal and social resources they have available. ... > full story

Protein from bones of 600,000-year-old mammoth extracted successfully (June 4, 2011) -- Researchers from the University of York and Manchester have successfully extracted protein from the bones of a 600,000-year-old mammoth, paving the way for the identification of ancient fossils. ... > full story

Bacterial roundabouts determine cell shape: Scientists decipher important mechanisms of bacterial cell wall synthesis (June 4, 2011) -- Almost all bacteria owe their structure to an outer cell wall that interacts closely with the supporting MreB protein inside the cell. As scientists now show, MreB molecules assemble into larger units, but not - as previously believed – into continuous helical structures. The circular movement of these units along the inside of the bacterial envelope is mediated by cell wall synthesis, which in turn requires the support of MreB. This mutual interaction may be a widespread phenomenon among bacteria and opens up new avenues for therapeutic intervention. The bacterial cell wall is already a major target for antibiotics. ... > full story

Building a better dam map: New database of reservoirs and dams for sustainable river-flow management (June 4, 2011) -- The culmination of a four-year collaboration by a team of scientists from around the globe has produced the Global Reservoir and Dam database (GRanD), a unique, geographically explicit, high-resolution global database of large dams and reservoirs. ... > full story

For stressed bees, the glass is half empty (June 3, 2011) -- When people are depressed or anxious, they are much more likely to see their glass as half empty than half full. In tough times, evidence of that same pessimistic outlook can be seen in dogs, rats, and birds. Now, researchers show that bees, too, share those very same hallmarks of negative emotion. ... > full story

New strain of MRSA discovered: Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in both humans and dairy cows (June 3, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which occurs both in human and dairy cow populations. The study identified the new strain in milk from dairy cows while researching mastitis (a bacterial infection which occurs in the cows' udders). ... > full story

River mystery solved: Scientists discover how 'Didymo' algae bloom in pristine waters with few nutrients (June 3, 2011) -- The pristine state of unpolluted waterways may be their downfall, according to new research. A species of freshwater algae that lives in streams and rivers, called Didymo for Didymosphenia geminata, is able to colonize and dominate the bottoms of some of the world's cleanest waterways -- precisely because they are so clear. Didymo does so with a little help from its friends -- in this case, bacteria -- which allow it to make use of nutrients like phosphorus. ... > full story

Mass extinction victim survives: Snail long thought extinct isn't (June 3, 2011) -- Think "mass extinction" and you probably envision dinosaurs dropping dead in the long-ago past or exotic tropical creatures being wiped out when their rainforest habitats are decimated. But a major mass extinction took place in North America in the first half of the 20th century, when 47 species of mollusk disappeared after the watershed in which they lived was dammed. Now, a population of one of those species -- a freshwater limpet last seen more than 60 years ago and presumed extinct -- has been found in a tributary of the heavily dammed Coosa River in Alabama's Mobile River Basin. ... > full story

New NASA salt mapper to spice up climate forecasts (June 3, 2011) -- Salt is essential to human life. Most people don't know, however, that salt -- in a form nearly the same as the simple table variety -- is just as essential to Earth's ocean, serving as a critical driver of key ocean processes. While ancient Greek soothsayers believed they could foretell the future by reading the patterns in sprinkled salt, today's scientists have learned that they can indeed harness this invaluable mineral to foresee the future -- of Earth's climate. ... > full story

Autism may have had advantages in humans' hunter-gatherer past, researcher believes (June 3, 2011) -- Though people with autism face many challenges because of their condition, they may have been capable hunter-gatherers in prehistoric times, according to a new paper. ... > full story

Tsunami sensor detects mysterious background signal in Panama (June 3, 2011) -- An unusual signal detected by the seismic monitoring station at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's research facility on Barro Colorado Island results from waves in Lake Gatun, the reservoir that forms the Panama Canal channel, scientists report. Understanding seismic background signals leads to improved earthquake and tsunami detection in the Caribbean region where 100 tsunamis have been reported in the past 500 years. ... > full story

Study maps global 'hotspots' of climate-induced food insecurity (June 3, 2011) -- A new study has matched future climate change "hotspots" with regions already suffering chronic food problems to identify highly vulnerable populations, chiefly in Africa and South Asia, but potentially in China and Latin America as well, where in fewer than 40 years, the prospect of shorter, hotter or drier growing seasons could imperil hundreds of millions of already impoverished people. ... > full story

Mechanism discovered for health benefit of green tea, new approach to autoimmune disease (June 3, 2011) -- One of the beneficial compounds found in green tea has a powerful ability to increase the number of "regulatory T cells" that play a key role in immune function and suppression of autoimmune disease, according to new research. This may be one of the underlying mechanisms for the health benefits of green tea. ... > full story

Non-independent mutations present new path to evolutionary success (June 3, 2011) -- Mutations of DNA that lead to one base being replaced by another don't have to happen as single, independent events in humans and other eukaryotes, a group of biologists has learned after surveying several creatures' genomes. ... > full story

Researchers build largest biochemical circuit out of small synthetic DNA molecules (June 3, 2011) -- In many ways, life is like a computer. An organism's genome is the software that tells the cellular and molecular machinery -- the hardware -- what to do. But instead of electronic circuitry, life relies on biochemical circuitry -- complex networks of reactions and pathways that enable organisms to function. Now, researchers have built the most complex biochemical circuit ever created from scratch. ... > full story

Birds dumping eggs on the neighbors (June 3, 2011) -- A huge study of over 69,000 nests around the west coast of Scotland has revealed for the first time the full extent of egg dumping by seabirds. The findings show that cuckoos aren't the only birds to lay eggs in other birds' nests, and may give an insight into how so-called brood parasitism evolved. ... > full story

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